England skipper, Harry Kane, has expressed disappointment following the Three Lions’ unexpected 3-1 loss to Senegal in Tuesday’s international friendly at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.
Kane, England’s all-time top scorer, marked his 107th international appearance by netting his 73rd goal in the first half, putting Thomas Tuchel’s side ahead.
However, the lead was short-lived, as Senegal responded emphatically, becoming the first African nation to defeat the 1966 World Cup champions.
“Again, not really good enough,” Kane admitted post-match. “I think we had moments, but just both with and without the ball, things just aren’t quite clicking.
“We aren’t quite finding the right passes or the fight tempo. One v one, we’re losing duels, we’re losing that aggressive nature that we’ve had.
“We got punished. We were playing against a good side. But again, too much that just wasn’t good enough today.”
Late in the game, England thought they had drawn level through Jude Bellingham, but the goal was disallowed for handball, extinguishing hopes of a comeback.
Reflecting on the incident, Kane noted how pivotal that moment could have been.
“It obviously gets us back in the game at 2-2 and maybe we go on and win the game, so it is quite a big moment, but that’s something to discuss with them [the officials] after,” he said.
The loss came just days after England edged Andorra 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier, a result that had made it three wins from three in their campaign.
Despite the setback against Senegal, Kane emphasized the squad’s determination to improve ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
“We’re not going to panic, but for sure we know that we need to be better,” Kane explained. “There are some ideas that are new for the guys, we have new players coming into the team who haven’t got experience at international level.
“It’s a mixture of things, but it’s no excuses, we need to find it [a solution] quick. We’re not going to meet again for a couple of months, but the World Cup is going to come around really fast, so every camp is really important right now.”
England will now look to regroup and sharpen their focus as preparations continue for the tournament on the horizon.
