Senegal beat England with 'four Nigerians' in historic African win, show Super Eagles the way

Senegal etched their name into the history books on Tuesday night, becoming the first African nation to defeat 1966 World Cup winners England in an international match.

The Lions of Teranga claimed a memorable 3-1 victory in a friendly fixture held at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, ending England’s 21-match unbeaten run against African opposition.

England opened the scoring inside seven minutes through captain Harry Kane, but Senegal drew level just before the break as Ismaila Sarr converted from close range.

The visitors took control in the second half, with Habib Diarra putting them ahead in the 62nd minute.

Cheikh Sabaly added a third deep into stoppage time to seal a historic win for the 2021 African champions. 

The defeat marks a significant milestone in international football, as no African team had previously beaten England in 21 attempts.

England manager Thomas Tuchel handed minutes to four players of Nigerian descent who are cap-tied to the Three Lions.

Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka were named in the starting XI, while Liverpool’s Curtis Jones and Chelsea’s Noni Madueke came off the bench in the 59th and 71st minutes respectively.

Nigeria's Super Eagles have faced England on three occasions in the past, recording two narrow defeats and a goalless draw at the 2002 Fifa World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

Former England youth international Alex Iwobi remains the only Nigerian to have scored against England, having found the net in a pre-World Cup friendly at Wembley in 2018.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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