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Senegal become first African team to beat England with 3-1 win in friendly

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 Senegal became the first African team to beat England in 22 games on Tuesday, winning 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly.

Senegal stretched their unbeaten streak to 24 games, while England’s loss, which included a disallowed late goal from Jude Bellingham for a handball in the build-up, was their first defeat in four games under new manager Thomas Tuchel.

“Not good enough,” captain Harry Kane told ITV. “We had moments, but with and without the ball things aren’t clicking, we’re not finding the right tempo.

We’ve lost that aggressive nature that we had.”England — with 10 changes from Saturday’s 1-0 lacklustre World Cup qualifying win over Andorra took the lead when Kane struck in the seventh minute after Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved Anthony Gordon’s shot but spilled the ball into the striker’s path.T

he hosts conceded for the first time under Tuchel when Sarr caught Kyle Walker napping to poke in Nicolas Jackson’s cross in the 40th minute.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 62nd when Diarra latched onto a ball over the top then fired through goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s legs. Sabaly struck deep into stoppage time, prompting boos from England fans after the final whistle.

We’re not going to panic but we know we need to be better,” Kane said. “New ideas, there’s new players coming into the team that don’t have experience at international level.

“It’s a mixture of things but no excuses. We need to find it quick, the World Cup is going to come around really fast so every camp is really important right now.

“Senegal peppered Henderson with nine shots on target to England’s four, including an early header from Sarr that the goalkeeper pushed wide of the post.

Gordon squandered a glorious chance to give England a two-goal lead in the first half when he mis-hit Walker’s cross from close range.

Mendy made a great late save to deny England what would have been an equaliser from Bukayo Saka before Senegal added their third.

“Disappointing result, not sure if maybe didn’t deserve a little bit more result-wise,” Tuchel said. “But felt again a bit frozen, not active enough for a long time of the match.

“We conceded the first two goals, very easy goals, that we needed to defend better.

The reaction was good after we were down, suddenly more active, more free, more fluid, more aggressive towards the opponent’s goals. We had then big chances to equalise.”

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Nigeria Volleyball Reporters Congratulates Oguntimehin On Election As Fct Swan Chairman

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The Nigeria Volleyball Reporters Association (NVRA) has congratulated Tolu Oguntimehin on his election as Chairman of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter.

NVRA described his emergence as an opportunity to strengthen sports journalism and advance the welfare of members.

Oguntimehin emerged victorious at the FCT SWAN elective congress held on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, defeating his challenger, Raphael Ekpang, by 88 votes to four.

In a congratulatory message, the Chairman of Nigeria Volleyball Reporters, Alhaji Ganiyu Oloyede described the election outcome as a testament to the confidence reposed in Oguntimehin by members of the association.

Oloyede expressed optimism that the new chairman would bring purposeful leadership, inclusiveness and renewed commitment to the development of sports journalism in the FCT.

He stressed that the responsibility of leading the association goes beyond occupying an office.

Oloyede noted that the new administration must prioritise members’ welfare, professional development, unity and the protection of their collective interests.

The NVR chairman also challenged the incoming leadership to create an enabling environment where sports journalists can thrive professionally, gain greater access to sporting events and contribute meaningfully to the growth of Nigerian sports.

He particularly welcomed Oguntimehin’s commitment to establishing a ₦200 million financial base for the association, describing the proposed initiative as an ambitious step towards building a financially stronger and more sustainable SWAN FCT.

Oloyede further emphasised the importance of collaboration among sports journalists, sports federations, government institutions and other stakeholders, maintaining that stronger partnerships would create more opportunities for members and improve the quality of sports reporting.

He urged the new executive to embrace transparency, accountability and open communication while ensuring that every member feels represented in the administration.

The Nigeria Volleyball Reporters reaffirmed its readiness to work with the new SWAN FCT leadership in promoting sports journalism, strengthening professional relationships and projecting Nigerian sports positively.

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