Pape Thiaw: These matches are decided by the details
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw reflected on his side's 1-3 defeat to France, pointing to costly collective errors in the second half and a lack of efficiency in front of the goal
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw calmly assessed his side's 1-3 defeat to France in their 2026 World Cup group stage opener.
"We really wanted to win this match and that was visible. Unfortunately, we lacked efficiency, and at a World Cup everything comes down to the details. We had chances to score, but we also lost the ball at crucial moments. We can't afford that," said Thiaw.
"In the second half we made several collective mistakes that ultimately proved decisive. Defensively we looked good for long periods, but there were moments where we lost control of the ball and were punished for it," he explained.
"I think we rose to the challenge. At a tournament like this, suffering is part of it. When we fell behind, we tried to react and level things up, but we couldn't manage it. In our next match against Norway we need to be more aggressive," Thiaw concluded.
