Although England will play Senegal for the first time in Al Khor on Sunday, they have become more than familiar with African opposition over the past few decades. Cameroon, Algeria, and Tunisia have featured in some of England's most pivotal World Cup contests of recent times, although not all of these games have showcased the Three Lions in their best light.

England Vs Cameroon (2-3)– Italy 1990

Undoubtedly England's most memorable match against African opposition in their World Cup history, and perhaps their most iconic match against any team. Platt's header settled any nerves England may have had early on due to the outsiders. It was not until Cameroon introduced four-goal revelation Roger Milla at half-time that the tempo suddenly increased. In three minutes, Eugene Ekeke took his fellow substitute's pass and lifted the ball over Peter Shilton after Gascoigne brought Milla down for a penalty that was converted by Emmanuel Kunde. In the seventh minute of the game, Gary Lineker was fouled by Benjamin Massing, but the number 10 kept calm from the spot. In extra time, he struck again after another Massing foul, this time around slamming home from 12 yards to send his nation to its first semi-final abroad. As manager Robson would bafflingly admit later, "we did not underestimate them, but they were a lot better than we anticipated."

England Vs Tunisia (2-0)– France 1998

Before England's 1998 opening match, the pre-match buzz revolved around David Beckham's "lack of focus" - not our words Carol, but the words of England manager Glenn Hoddle. As a player who has played in almost every match in the last two years, Beckham was omitted from the Marseille match soon after Gascoigne's exclusion had also made headlines. As a result, the national debate on the subject could not be resolved until after the end of the matches, as Alan Shearer headed home the first goal from Graeme Le Saux's free-kick after Paul Ince's pass, before Paul Scholes converted a delightful backheel pass after Paul Ince dropped a punch from the right.

England Vs Nigeria (0-0)– South Korea/Japan 2002

This is not the most compelling game that you will find on the market. In their second match in Group F, Sven Goran Eriksson's side defeated Argentina, which left them with the simple task of matching the Albiceleste's result against Sweden when they met Nigeria in Osaka, which had already been eliminated. It was a slow-paced encounter in a stifling Japanese heat that started at 3:30pm, making for a slow-paced match. The news concerning Sweden's opening in Miyagi only added to the indifference displayed by both teams. A late equaliser by Argentina over the Swedes made little difference in the outcome, with England going through after an instantly-forgettable goalless draw.

England Vs Algeria (0-0)– South Africa 2010

An indifferent performance from England, this time coming just before the match, when the USA had taken a lead as a result of a mistake by Rob Green. It was a very poor Algerian team that held back England's 'Golden Generation despite David James being named to the starting lineup. There was so much booing on the field that it led Wayne Rooney to tell BBC's cameras as he left the field, "Nice to see your home fans booing you, that's what I call a supporter.".

England Vs Tunisia (2-1)- Russia 2018

Harry Kane's late winner in Volgograd gave England a positive start to their group campaign, which looked likely to be an ignominious performance. As a result of Kyle Walker's swinging arm on an injured Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, Ferjani Sassi was able to equalize from the spot after the captain had opened the scoring following a John Stones header that was saved by the keeper. Kane's header at the far post was nodded home by Kieran Trippier from Harry Maguire's right-wing corner in injury time.

By Rashmi Goel