England set up a huge World Cup quarter-final showdown with defending champions France after easing past Senegal with a 3-0 victory in the last 16.
After a sluggish start at the Al Bayt Stadium, England burst into life in the 39th minute when Jude Bellingham brilliantly set up Jordan Henderson for the opener.
It got even better for Gareth Southgate’s side just before the break when Bellingham launched a devastating England counter, which was finished off by Harry Kane (45+3) for his first goal of the tournament.
England’s charge to the last eight continued after the break as Bukayo Saka (57) justified his recall to the starting XI with a deft finish to convert Phil Foden’s cross.
It led to an extremely comfortable end to the game for England as Southgate made a host of substitutions as he aims to keep his squad fresh for what lies ahead.
It sets up a mouth-watering last-eight contest with France on Saturday (kick-off 7pm), who were inspired by a clinical performance from Kylian Mbappe as his double helped secure them a 3-1 victory over Poland.
Southgate said the clash with the World Cup holders will be a huge step up for his side.
“This is the acid test for us, we know this is a step up from what we’ve had so far,” he said after the win over Senegal.
“But the team has garnered so much experience in the last few years, they’re playing with confidence and we look threatening. We’re scoring goals and another clean sheet is lovely to see. We’re in a good place but we know the level of the opposition as well.” (Sky)