Tuchel suffers debacle: England loses 1:3 against Senegal!

Tuchel suffers debacle: England loses 1:3 against Senegal!

On June 10, 2025, Thomas Tuchel, the coach of the English national soccer team, suffered the first defeat of his term in office. England lost a friendly against Senegal 3-1 after a 1-1 draw. The encounter took place at Nottingham Forest's stadium and featured a number of disappointing moments for the English team.

England took the lead early: Harry Kane made it 1-0 in the 7th minute. But Senegal was able to turn the game around. Ismaila Sarr brought the Africans level with a goal in the 40th minute. Further goals from Habib Diarra (62') and Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly (93') sealed victory for Senegal, who made history by becoming the first African team to win against England. The English team had previously celebrated a narrow win against Andorra in World Cup qualifying (1-0) and was still top of Europe Group K in World Cup qualifying at the time of the game against Senegal.

Criticism of Tuchel and the team

The performance of Tuchel and his team was criticized more intensely after the game. There were whistles blowing against the England team and many fans left the stadium before the final whistle, disappointed with how the game was going. England showed strong pressure in the first half, but became more passive in the second half and allowed Senegal several chances.

It was particularly bitter for the English that Jude Bellingham's supposed equalizer in the 84th minute was not recognized because of a handball. This was not only Tuchel's first defeat with the national team, but also the first goals they conceded during his tenure, having previously won in partnership with Latvia (3-0), Albania (2-0) and Andorra (1-0).

Looking at the challenges ahead

The next opponent of the English national team in the World Cup qualification is Serbia. This exciting encounter will be crucial for Tuchel and his players to regain the fans' trust and maintain their leadership position in the group.

On the sidelines of these sporting events, it is worth taking a look at the history of the world champion football coaches. There are 20 different coaches who have led their teams to win the Men's World Cup since 1930. The first world champion coach Alberto Suppici from Uruguay and the unique achievements of coaches such as Vittorio Pozzo, who won two titles, and Franz Beckenbauer, who won both as a player and as a coach, are of great importance. These achievements are inspiring for coaches like Tuchel who aspire to reach similar heights in their careers. For more information about the fortunes of the world champion coaches, see the detailed list on Wikipedia.

The coming games will show whether England under Tuchel can learn from this defeat and come back stronger.

For more on England's loss to Senegal, see reports from Krone.at and Faz.net.