England are through to the quarter finals in Qatar! After a dominant 3-0 win against Senegal, Gareth Southgate’s side will face France this Saturday as they look to book their place in the semi-finals.
The action wasn’t just on the field, though, as our JD crew were showing their support from our JD Fan Zone in Manchester, while PK caught up with some of the biggest ‘ballers in the tournament.
Here’s what went down…
Electric England
Knowing the current World Cups champions would await them in the quarter-finals, England took their performance up a level, with first half goals from Jordan Henderson and captain, Harry Kane. This was followed up by a comfortable second half, as Bukayo Saka bagged his third of the tournament and England’s third on the night to run out 3-0 winners.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Three Lions. Much like theirs and the rest of the favourites’ games so far this tournament, they started the game slowly.
The lack of tempo had the fans grumbling. Senegal nearly made them pay when a slack Harry Maguire clearance put the defence under pressure. After a scrambled cross, Ismaïla Sarr lifted the ball over Jordan Pickford but couldn’t keep it down.
Shortly after, Saka’s pass back to Kyle Walker was intercepted by Sarr. He easily slipped in Boulaye Dia, forcing Pickford into a reflex save at a tight angle – the best chance of the game up to that point.
Those two moments were the wake-up call England needed to get on the front foot. Jude Bellingham led the surge going forwards from midfield to attack, putting the ball on a plate for Henderson to finish past Édouard Mendy.
Bellingham was then instrumental in the second goal, breaking away from multiple challenges and putting Phil Foden in a two-on-one position. Foden was quick to play a first-time pass into Kane, the captain firing past Mendy for his first of the tournament, on the brink of half-time.
After the break, much like Bellingham did for the second, Foden did for the third, shrugging off a tackle and perfectly teeing up Saka to finish neatly with a deft chip.
With England cruising, Southgate was mindful of what lay ahead, bringing on a handful of substitutions to keep his squad fresh until the full whistle blew.
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Reppin’ the Badge at Love Factory
We headed over to the Love Factory in Manchester, where a packed-out venue was in attendance, eagerly awaiting the first knockout game of England’s campaign.
With the Three Lions ready to put on a show, a load of familiar faces joined us in our JD Fan Zone up on the balcony. Featuring live music from our DJ, plus free food and drinks, our gang were soaking up the atmosphere ahead of the game.
Down on the ground, PK Humble (@pk_humble) was asking the biggest question to our Three Lions fans:
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JD Football x 433
JD regular PK was runnin’ the show once again in our latest ep in collaboration with fellow footy-lovers, 433.
PK sat down with two of the Premier League’s finest imports: Manchester City and Portugal’s Ruban Dias, and Manchester United and Argentina’s Lisandro Martínez.
The defenders answered everything from their favourite national dish and the atmosphere in the dressing room to their footballing icons growing up.
Find out what the players had to say right here!
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Not stoppin’ there, he also got to hear from two of Chelsea’s finest. With England’s Conor Gallagher and Brazil’s Thiago Silva revealing their nicknames, what it would be like to lift the trophy, the best player’s they’ve played with and more.
See what they had to say:
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With the likes of Argentina and Netherlands also facing off this weekend, be sure to back your nation with our range of international kits, training essentials and loads more.
Want to stay in the loop this tournament? As the final stages approach, get following us across our socials – @jdfootball – so you never miss out.
