Senegal swept aside 3-1 by France in their FIFA World Cup 2026™ opener
Despite an encouraging first-half display, the Lions of Teranga ultimately fell short
Midfielders Pathe Ciss and Pape Gueye believe their side have the tools to bounce back
When Nicolas Jackson’s 25th-minute effort struck Mike Maignan’s post and then ricocheted back off the France goalkeeper, Senegal were inches away from a moment that could have markedly altered the outcome of their .
Unable to open the scoring despite having stifled 2022 runners-up France for long spells of the first half, Senegal eventually succumbed to a 3-1 defeat following a rampant second-half showing from a France side led by Kylian Mbappe, who .
Despite the perceptible feeling of frustration that prevailed at the final whistle, Pape Thiaw’s troops did their utmost to stay positive, none more so than midfield disruptor Pape Gueye.
“I thought it was a good performance on the whole,” he told FIFA. “I felt we showed some positive signs despite being on the wrong end of the result. We came up against a side known for being ruthless. They took their chances, but overall we acquitted ourselves well. Now we need to keep our heads up and do everything we can to win our next two matches.”
Having paid the price for their failure to capitalise on their first-half superiority, Senegal will take heart from the chances they fashioned against one of the tournament favourites, most notably when Ismaila Sarr missed the target from close range as the first period drew to a close. The Lions of Teranga have already vowed to iron out those flaws as they turn their attentions to a next Monday.
“In football, you can’t play well for just one half,” said Pathe Ciss, who joined the action late on to inject new life into the Senegal midfield. “We played well throughout the first period but we fell asleep in the second half. We stopped creating opportunities and ultimately it cost us the game. We’re going to stay positive, build on the things we did well during the first half and put right the mistakes we made in the second.”
In light of the competition’s new 48-team format – whereby the eight best third-ranked teams will qualify for the knockout stage along with each group’s top two – Senegal remain very much in contention for a place in the Round of 32. And Ibrahim Mbaye’s strike deep into second-half stoppage time underlined that the Africans are capable of unlocking any backline – even one as bulletproof as that of Les Bleus.
Three and a half years ago in Qatar, the CAF heavyweights bounced back from a 2-0 opening defeat against the Netherlands by overcoming the hosts 3-1 and then Ecuador 2-1. They will now be looking to summon the same strength of character as they did in Doha to turn things around in what looks a highly competitive Group I.
“We’re not thinking for one second about finishing among the best third-placed teams; we have bigger ambitions,” asserted Ciss. “We want to finish as high as we can in the group. We’ve still got two games to play. We need to reset and get things right.”
“Norway are a strong outfit,” emphasised Gueye. “We’d been concentrating on France, but now we need to quickly shift our focus because we’ve got another big game coming up and we’ll be pulling out all the stops to get the three points.”
Despite the sombre expressions etched across their faces as they trudged off the pitch in New York New Jersey, the Senegalese spoke with the determination of a group who know that they are far from out of the running. And despite Erling Haaland’s fine form – the big striker hitting two goals in Norway’s opening 4-1 triumph over Iraq – the Lions of Teranga will not be tamed without a fight.
Sources: FIFA Official
