FIFA World Cup 2026: Senegal Coach Pape Thiaw Calls For Better Finishing After 3-1 Defeat To France

New Jersey, June 16: Senegal coach Pape Thiaw urged greater efficiency from his side after they dominated the first half against France but failed to capitalise on their opportunities. France punished them in the second half to register a 3-1 victory in the opening Group I World Cup match at MetLife Stadium here.

Senegal Rue Missed Chances Against France

"We have some regrets. The score would have been different if we were more efficient in finishing. France was more efficient in the second half. We did commit some mistakes, but it was a collective mistake," said Thiaw after the match.

"Sometimes we had a low-line block, and we were very passive on the pitch, and we need to be more aggressive against the ball carriers so that certain passes don't happen like that (resulting in goals)," he added, referring to how France’s forward line of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola capitalised on defensive lapses in the final quarter of the game.

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Senegal have two more matches left and will next face Norway at the same venue. They will have to counter another prolific striker in Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.

"We need to remobilise the players. It's been a long time since this team lost their first match in a competition, but we have two more matches, and we still have our chances. We need to keep working on that to keep the lines closer and make the defence more compact," said Thiaw.