EAST RUTHERFORD: Senegal will hope to become less passive in defence and improve efficiency in their attack, coach Pape Thiaw said, after a 3-1 defeat by France in their World Cup Group ‘I’ opener on Tuesday.
The African side had looked to be the better team in a goalless first half before France captain Kylian Mbappe scored in the 66th minute and Bradley Barcola added another goal in the 82nd.
The joy of Ibrahim Mbaye’s stoppage-time strike was cut short as Mbappe sent in another from distance a minute later.
Senegal return to New York/New Jersey Stadium on Monday to play Norway.
“There were some mistakes, it was a collective mistake,” said Thiaw. “Sometimes we had a low line block and we were very passive on the pitch and we need to be more aggressive for the ball carriers so that certain passes don’t happen like (when France scored).”
Senegal entered the World Cup on a solid run, having won the Africa Cup of Nations before the Confederation of African Football controversially stripped them of the title earlier this year.
“We need to remobilise the players — it’s been a long time since this team has lost a first match in a competition but we have two more matches and we still have our chances and we need to focus very well for the next match so we can get the three points,” said Thiaw.
Senegal face another prolific scorer in Erling Haaland when they play Norway, who faced Iraq in Boston later on Tuesday.
“We need to keep working on that to keep the lines closer,” said Thiaw. “This will enable us to have a more compact block, not to work left to right.”
Mbappe’s 14 World Cup goals take him level with West Germany legend Gerd Mueller as the fourth-highest scorer in World Cup history.
France coach Didier Deschamps hailed Mbappe as “extraordinary”.
“Not everything came off for him, but he can win games in one moment,” Deschamps said.
Mbappe began the day one goal behind Olivier Giroud, his team-mate in France’s victorious 2018 World Cup campaign, but is now one ahead of the former Arsenal striker on 58 goals from 99 caps.
“I am really pleased and very happy to make a little more history for my country,” Mbappe said.
“It is something I always wanted to do, although we know why we are here, so I think I will have the time to think about all these things once I stop playing.” He added: “We want to keep writing the biggest page in the history of the French national team. We know the road is very long, but we are ready.”
Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2026
