England reaches World Cup quarterfinals, beats Senegal 3-0
Al Khor (Qatar) (AP): England captain Harry Kane scored his first goal of this year's World Cup, helping his team beat Senegal 3-0 Sunday and setting up a match against France in the quarterfinals.
Kane scored for the 52nd time for his country to move within one of Wayne Rooney's England record. He also overtook Gary Lineker as his country's leading scorer in major tournaments with 11 goals.
"The ball just sat up nicely and the connection was perfect," Kane said. "I had one just before that I should have done better with so it was nice to see that one go in."
Jordan Henderson and Bukayo Saka also scored at Al Bayt Stadium while Jude Bellingham played a key role in the opening two goals and Phil Foden had two assists.
England, which reached the semifinals at the last World Cup in Russia, will face defending champion France at Al Bayt Stadium on Saturday.
"We enjoyed this one, but of course our focus turns straight to that," Kane said. "It's going to be a really tough game. They're reigning champions but it'll be a good battle."
The must-see contest will feature the tournament's leading scorer in Kylian Mbappe and one of its standout players in Bellingham.
Mbappe scored twice against Poland in a 3-1 victory to take his total at this year's World Cup to five goals.
Bellingham only has the one he scored in England's opening 6-2 rout of Iran, but his game is about so much more.
"Goodness me, @BellinghamJude is unbelievably good. He's the leader in this team. His parents must be so proud. Love him," Lineker wrote on Twitter after the Borussia Dortmund midfielder crossed for Henderson to score the first goal in the 38th minute.
Up to then, Senegal had been creating the more dangerous chances. Ismaila Sarr sent a shot over from close range and then England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had to throw out an arm to block another effort from Boulaye Dia.
All that without the team's player, Sadio Mane, who was ruled out of the tournament with an injury before play even started in Qatar.
Everything changed once Bellingham seized control, charging into the box before setting up Henderson. In first-half stoppage time, he went on another unstoppable run, carrying the ball from just outside England's box and deep into Senegal's half. Foden then played in Kane to double England's lead.
With the 1966 World Cup champions well on their way to a showdown with France, Saka scored in the 57th minute by converting Foden's cross.
STAYING POWER
The match was played to the beat of the Senegal fans' drums, which provided the soundtrack from start to finish. England's fans struggled to be heard over the noise even when the result was beyond doubt.
STERLING WAIT
Raheem Sterling was ruled out before the match started because of a "family matter." England coach Gareth Southgate did not offer any indication if or when the forward would be able to return.
RECORD SET
Bellingham became the youngest England player to provide an assist at a World Cup.
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SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
