“Disappointed.” That was how Senegal defender Nampalys Mendy told DW he felt after his side’s 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands in Al Thumama on Monday. The African side’s aura was off and they have to face the reality that without their star Sadio Mane, they could face an early exit from theWorld Cup.
As the Lions walked off shoulders down, only a few dared to speak about the real issue. Defensive midfielder Mendy, the player who covered the highest distance in the game, summed it up: “Mane is a special player, he has the quality and a specialness. But he is not here, we have to do without him.”
The Senegalese played a solid game in the first half, when they went toe to toe with their opponents, but they lacked that bite upfront to unlock the Oranje defense. Striker Boulaye Dia and his support of Krepin Diatta, Idrissa Gueye and Ismailla Sarr failed to convert their four chances.
Senegal paid for their tiredness late on after a header by Cody Gakpo and a second goal in injury time from substitute Davy Klaassen sealed the victory for the Dutch.
Missing Mane
It was clear that Senegal were going to struggle at this World Cup without Mane who contributed five goals in their last five matches. Coach Aliou Cisse tried to allay fears about the absence of the Bayern Munich star in their squad before their opening game, but to little avail.
While every Senegalese fan here in Qatar spoke of how the Lions would be able to find a replacement in their squad, on Monday night, the absence was glaring.
Senegal came into this with confidence they could produce a great campaign on the back of winning the Africa Cup of Nations title in February. Willed on by an entire continent to succeed, the devastating news of Mane’s injury at Bayern Munich just before the Bundesliga finished up dealt a huge blow to that positivity.
While responding to a DW question on Sunday, coach Cisse said that his phone never stopped ringing after the sad news. “Everyone in Senegal and across Africa called me. He is not just a big miss to Senegal, but to the entire football world.”
Sad loss
Kalidou Koulibaly, the captain of the African champions, admitted that it was always going to be a tough opening game but looked immediately to the future: “It is sad that we weren’t able to score. Now we have to play two finals against Qatar [on Friday] and Ecuador.
“I think we showed that we have a good team. It is a pity that we lost, but it is high level football,” added Koulibaly.
Their fitness was also called into question with several players falling on the pitch during the game. This was compounded as they lost midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate who picked up an ankle injury and left back Abdou Diallo with a muscle injury.
Rallying cry
Senegal have two matches to save their competition. They next face hosts Qatar, who also lost their opening game 2-0 to Ecuador. Both teams need a face-saving victory, but the Senegalese have the higher quality in terms of players and experience.
While Qatar struggled to find openings against Ecuador, they may fancy their chances against the Lions.
Leicester City midfielder Mendy sent out a rallying cry to his Lions: “We have to keep our spirits up and fight together,” he told DW.
An opening defeat is always an opportunity to reappraise strategy, Senegal have to gather themselves, for Mane and their fans. There is still a lot of football to play, starting on Friday against the hosts.
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