How slick England mastered the art of the counter-attack
With two lightning strikes at the end of the first half, Southgate’s side tore Senegal apart, writes Mike Mcgrath
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Harry Kane (45+3)
England captain Harry Kane opened his World Cup account with an emphatic finish from a decisive breakaway
Build-up
It was all about Bellingham – once again. Sensing there could be a chance of a turnover he closed down Pathe Ciss when Senegal had a cross cleared to the edge of the England penalty area.
Despite being in a position of threat, Senegal had midfielders turning towards their own goal as Bellingham kept possession and moved through the gears in central midfield. There were still plenty of options and he needed to choose the right one, which he did as he sent Foden down the inside-left channel.
Final pass
Pep Guardiola has occasionally bemoaned Foden’s final pass this season, saying that he needs to understand that Manchester City now have Erling Haaland to finish off chances. Foden seems to have heeded the advice of his club manager as he chose the right option to send Kane away.
With Kalidou Koulibaly as the only Senegal defender trying to cover England’s swift counter, the Chelsea centre-back twisted towards Foden, but the City man’s first-time pass to Kane was an extremely clever one as he lifted the ball over the defender’s outstretched leg. Koulibaly got a slight deflection on the ball but no more than that,
meaning the England captain was away, with a clear run on goal, with only Mendy to beat.
Finish
Kane’s finish was that of a striker frustrated at drawing a blank in three Group B games. In particular, the miss against the United States was hard for the Tottenham Hotspur man to take, as it was the last action of the game, giving him no chance to make amends.
When he was sent through this time he simply put his laces through the ball, smashing it low past Mendy, with the Chelsea goalkeeper effectively getting out
4. Foden cleverly draws the final defender as he assesses his options before smartly chipping the ball to Harry Kane of the way as it crashed into the back of the net. It was a goal to kickstart Kane’s tournament, as his strike against Germany at the Euros last year did. Sometimes there is nothing simpler than just smashing the ball as hard as you can.
Celebration
Traditional celebration from Kane, a kiss of the wedding ring as he ran to the touchline, with Foden running to his captain and pointing his fingers towards him like an Aussie rules umpire signalling a goal.
As team-mates jumped on Kane and Foden, they were celebrating executing two perfect counterattacks, at just the right time, after Senegal had carved out two threatening opportunities, one lifted over the bar, the other denied by Jordan Pickford’s strong left-arm save.