Sénégal - Belgique (2-3) : Les tops et les flops
A cruel blow for Senegal. Leading by two goals until the 85th minute, Pape Thiaw's men were stunned by Belgium. Senegal are therefore eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the round of 32. Here are the highs and lows.
The best
Ismaila Sarr
He's the new discovery. Positioned once again as the lone striker, Sarr was Senegal's best player on the pitch. He was effective in his runs, valuable in his flick-ons, and intelligent in his movement. He capped off his performance with a superb piece of skill to score the second goal, after hitting the post twice, notably for Diarra's opening goal. He finished as the Lions' top scorer with four goals.
Krépin Diatta
Leandro Trossard, Jeremy Doku, Diego Moreira... Krépin Diatta faced Belgium's entire attacking force, and he held the fort! The Lions' full-back was solid defensively and available in attack. For 120 minutes, he was the most reliable Senegalese player on the pitch.
The flops
Pape Thiaw
A match that mirrored his entire tournament: INCOMPREHENSIBLE. The coach made the wrong choices in most of his game. He made a major error by taking off Pape Gueye, a midfield maestro, and then another by bringing on Lamine Camara. Senegal quickly lost their grip on the match. The coach tried to turn things around, but made another mistake with the introductions of Ibrahim Mbaye and then Pape Matar Sarr. In extra time, he opted for a risky, passive strategy, ceding possession to the Belgians and relying on counter-attacks. The Lions suffocated and found no solutions, despite no changes to their game plan. Under mounting pressure, Belgium managed to win a penalty in the final minute, eliminating Senegal.
Lamine Camara
His introduction proved to be the turning point of the match. Booked for his first touch, which he misjudged before fouling Mechele, Lamine Camara turned the game around by conceding a penalty in the final minute. Before this fateful intervention, he had struggled in midfield, unable to dictate the tempo.
Mory Diaw
He made three crucial saves, but the Lions' goalkeeper ruined the match with his completely botched clearance in the 89th minute. At the very moment his team needed him most, the Le Havre keeper failed to put Belgium back in the game.
Ibrahim Mbaye
This was a far cry from Mbaye's incisive and dynamic performances off the bench at the 2025 AFCON. Brought on in place of Iliman Ndiaye, the Parisian missed most of his opportunities. He failed to inject any pace into Senegal's play.
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