The England national football team vs Senegal national football team lineups told a compelling story of tactical experimentation and unexpected defeat when the two nations met in an international friendly at Nottingham’s City Ground on the evening of Tuesday, June 10, 2025, with kick-off at 7:45pm local time.
Thomas Tuchel made ten changes from the side that had laboured to a 1-0 win over Andorra just three days earlier, using the occasion to cast a wider eye over his squad ahead of the summer break.
England started brightly. Harry Kane opened the scoring in the seventh minute after Anthony Gordon’s shot was spilled by Edouard Mendy, with the England captain reacting quickest to tap home his 73rd international goal.
The lead did not last. Senegal, sharp and direct in their approach, levelled through Ismaïla Sarr before half-time after Nicolas Jackson hooked the ball back across goal and Kyle Walker was caught flat-footed.
The second half brought further misery for the hosts. Habib Diarra broke in behind the defence and fired a composed finish through Henderson’s legs to give Senegal the lead, and Cheikh Sabaly added a third late on to seal a historic result.
Jude Bellingham, introduced from the bench, had a goal disallowed for a handball in the build-up, denying England what would have been a consolation equaliser.
England National Football Team vs Senegal National Football Team Lineups in Full
England Starting Lineups (4-4-2)
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Dean Henderson |
| RB | Kyle Walker |
| CB | Trevoh Chalobah |
| CB | Levi Colwill |
| LB | Myles Lewis-Skelly |
| RM | Bukayo Saka |
| CM | Conor Gallagher |
| CM | Declan Rice |
| LM | Anthony Gordon |
| ST | Harry Kane (C) |
| ST | Eberechi Eze |
Senegal Starting XI (4-3-3)
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Edouard Mendy |
| RB | Krepin Diatta |
| CB | Kalidou Koulibaly (C) |
| CB | Moussa Niakhaté |
| LB | Malick Diouf |
| CM | Habib Diarra |
| CM | Idrissa Gana Gueye |
| CM | Lamine Camara |
| RW | Ismaila Sarr |
| ST | Nicolas Jackson |
| LW | Iliman Ndiaye |
Key Substitutions
| Team | Off | On |
|---|---|---|
| England | Harry Kane | Ivan Toney |
| England | Anthony Gordon | Morgan Rogers |
| England | Conor Gallagher | Morgan Gibbs-White |
| England | Declan Rice | Jude Bellingham |
| England | Bukayo Saka | Noni Madueke |
| Senegal | Nicolas Jackson | Boulaye Dia |
| Senegal | Lamine Camara | Cheikh Sabaly |
A Defeat That Prompted Serious Questions
The result was a historic one for Senegal, representing the first time an African nation had beaten England in 22 such meetings.
Tuchel was candid in his post-match assessment, acknowledging his side had looked passive for long stretches and had conceded two goals from situations that should have been managed far more competently at defensive level.
Harry Kane, speaking after the final whistle as captain, admitted things were not clicking for England either in or out of possession, and that the team was struggling to find the right tempo under the new manager’s system.
For Senegal, the result extended their unbeaten run to 24 matches and underlined the quality within a squad loaded with Premier League talent, even without their all-time great Sadio Mané.
Ismaïla Sarr was the standout performer on the night, carrying his impressive Crystal Palace club form into the international arena with a decisive contribution at a critical moment in the contest.
England’s next fixtures would come in World Cup qualifying against Andorra and Serbia, giving Tuchel time to reflect and regroup before the autumn window opened.
