England roar to score three goals against Senegal and enter quarter-finals of FIFA World Cup
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Team England celebrating
Gareth Southgate’s England roared against Senegal, preyed on the African side thrice, to post a thumping 3-0 win and enter the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup on Saturday night at the Al Bayt Stadium in Doha. If Jordan Henderson’s left-foot magic sounded the bugle, England captain Harry Kane pumped in the second goal, an absolute rocket fired with great timing and power. A 2-0 lead was enough to psyche out Senegal by half time with Bukayo Saka pumping in a third.
Such ferocity and feel from England was something that gave their fans inside the stadium and all over the world immense joy. Just sample this, till now, in four matches, England has pumped in 12 goals. It’s a huge effort after they began their campaign by thumping Iran 6-2 in the lung opener on November 22.
In football, it’s the goal scorers who hog the limelight. Yet, in the event of a striker missing an opportunity or a penalty, critics and fans tear him apart. There have been wonderful symphonies in this English side in the World Cup, which goes to show that Southgate has planned meticulously. He has been in charge of these boys for a long time and proved his worth. Doubting Thomases were skeptical if the Englishmen, who last won a World Cup in 1966 at home, can do reasonably well in the desert duels.
The coach has shown, in the past, pedigree to pick the right guys and make them believe in themselves. Sample this, in the 2020 Euro championship, Italy beat England on penalties. There were lessons learned from that experience by Southgate. The English FA seems to have faith in him, though the loss to Italy in a shoot-out two years ago was gut-wrenching. Those were the days of the Covid 19 pandemic when things were so different.
After that loss, English fans did go berserk, got drunk on beer, and misbehaved. Perhaps, that’s why the beer ban in stadia in Qatar is good. English football hooliganism is a shame, where they can go to any level and behave like loud lager louts. In Qatar, there are strict regulations and you cannot indulge in any stupid act which can land you in trouble. Maybe, these are positives for England, to be playing so far away from home.
Quarter-final clash between England and France will produce fireworks on Saturday in Qatar
Some people feel the weather in Qatar is so different from England and Europe, where their players were competing in leagues till a week before the World Cup. Adapting to Qatar’s humid weather would have been a challenge even though inside the playing arena, the temperature is controlled at a comfortable level. Maybe, it has made England play cool football. There have been no signs of nervous energy and the players have behaved very well.
For all this, credit does go to Southgate. If a class is well-behaved, the schoolmaster gets brownie points. After all, for every class teacher at work, there is a principal also watching. Southgate has understood the team well and treated the players on merit. For, blooding Jude Bellingham has been bold. At 19, to play in the first World Cup knockout game has been a revelation of sorts. You could say, it’s somewhat like getting 18-year-old Michael Owen to be on the ground against Argentina in 1998. Bellingham was sensational on Sunday night, playing a big role. Stats talk of ball possession passes and so on.
Even to the naked eye, Bellingham was a delight to watch. He will be important in the quarter-final as well against defending champions France on Saturday. How does one forget how Southgate dealt with a key player’s absence? Raheem Sterling was in no shape, mentally to play, as armed intruders broke into his house in England. When Southgate said there are things more important than football and allowed Raheem to fly back to England, it was a sterling decision. It showed he is a wonderful coach/manager with a heart that beats for players. When you give players such confidence, they will definitely perform well.
At this point in time, debating if Raheem will be back for the Saturday match is futile. His mental state may not allow him to be at his best. Add to it the players Southgate is picking, he has understood the make-up of all resources available at his disposal. England versus France, well, if you talk of history, they used to be warring nations. European history is replete with stories of how these two nations were engaged in battles and the French revolution and so on. After World War II, things changed and the two nations joined hands for many reasons, including politically.
If you talk of language, Englishmen learned French willingly and vice versa. Football knows only one language, play and win. This is where the two countries with a rich history should produce a classic knockout. Heavyweight? Kind of, for both these teams, have played good football in Qatar. If England has over-achieved, France has shown that despite injuries to key players before the World Cup — Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, they still pack a punch. Southgate versus Didier Deschamps, what will be the strategy?
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)