In a press conference on Sunday evening, after Senegal’s defeat against England (0-3), in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup, coach Aliou Cissé spoke without discouraging his players.
“It wasn’t a mindset issue. I am proud of my boys. We must admit the superiority of England. They pushed us back. Their second goal weighs us down. But it is above all the third that takes us out of the game. I praise the mentality of my team. They did not give up and tried to move forward despite everything,” the Senegalese technician first said.
The former football player continued by analyzing the face of the meeting and especially the difference in level between the two teams.
“A meeting lasts 90 minutes. Our first 30 were interesting. But we failed to convert. They were a very good English team, strong in duels and physical impact. We were very far from what we are capable of doing. Two or three boys could help us to exist more but there was a big difference between the two teams. We worked for years to get here. But England are 5th in the FIFA rankings. And you can see the difference.”
Senegal did not repeat the feat of 2002 (quarter-finalist at the World Cup that year).
The Teranga Lions were completely overwhelmed by their opponent, losing 3-0.
Henderson, Kane and Saka took it upon themselves to smash the dreams of the Senegalese.
From now on Senegal will turn to their next objectives, in particular the qualification for AFCON 2023 (postponed to 2024) which will be held in Côte d’Ivoire.
Source: AfrikPage