England beat Senegal to set up France quarter-final

Gareth Southgate's side survived a nervy opening in which goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made an outstanding save from Boulaye Dia to run out convincing winners with a powerful display of attacking strength.

England took a while to move through the gears against Senegal but when they clicked they showed a level of creation that gives them real edge and makes them genuine contenders for this World Cup.

Bellingham is the identikit modern midfield player and the manner in which he combined with Foden for England's second goal, completed by a rousing finish from Kane, was a glimpse into a golden future.

Foden has also grown into this World Cup, having scored against Wales and creating two goals here.

England's midfield and attack is taking shape with perfect timing for what will be the sternest of tests against France and the peerless Mbappe.

Henderson and Declan Rice allow Bellingham to flourish while Saka once again showed his maturity and threat from the wide positions along with Foden.

Pickford has had little to do in this World Cup but when called into action he made a vital intervention against Senegal that paved the way for England to get their act together and win with ease.

England were struggling in defence in the opening phase, with Dia missing one big chance before he was presented with another that needed Pickford to make a strong one-handed stop from his angled shot.

Senegal were soon behind and England had the momentum which they never threatened to relinquish, Southgate's side closing out the win with plenty to spare following an uneventful second half.

Pickford's place in the England side has occasionally been questioned from outside but never by Southgate, who has total faith in a player who has never let him down.

Bamba Dieng (Senegal) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked

Marcus Rashford (England) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right

Pape Sarr (Senegal) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right

Pape Gueye (Senegal) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked

Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) header from the centre of the box is too high

Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) wins a free kick in the defensive half

Watch highlights as England produce a dominant display to beat Senegal 3-0 and reach the World Cup quarter-finals

Watch a different view of Jude Bellingham's game-changing performance for England as he played a key role in their opening two goals against Senegal

Watch as Alex Scott and Martin Keown praise Jude Bellingham's performance against Senegall as 'the best by a midfielder at this World Cup.'

Watch as Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud lead France to a dominant 3-1 victory against Poland in the last 16 at the World Cup

The latest rumours and stories from around the world of football

How to get into football - the most popular sport in the world, with clubs and facilities throughout the UK

Back to 365NEWSX