Making their World Cup debut during the 2002 edition of the tournament, Senegal won their opening match against France and drew their next two games against group winners Denmark and third-place finishers Uruguay. Central midfielder Papa Bouba Diop (may he repose en paix) scored the winner against France and two goals against Uruguay to help the team place second in the group and qualify for the next round. In the 2022 World Cup, Senegal lost their first group game against the Netherlands in late fashion, but went on to defeat Qatar and Ecuador, with the Ecuador match requiring heroics from defender Kalidou Koulibaly to restore the lead shortly after Ecuador equalized. That goal sent the team to the knockout stage.
The Lions of Teranga win in group-stage matches. And if history is an indicator of what will happen, that victory will happen during this tournament.
Capitalizing on Norway’s inexperience
Many, myself included, thought Senegal’s first group stage win would come against France, a poetic repeat of the 2002 World Cup group opening fixture. But in a group with Norway and Iraq as the upcoming opponents, a win is still doable. It could come against Norway. Even though they have star players like Martin Ødegaard, Erling Haaland, and Alexander Sørloth, the Norway team lacks high-stakes international competition that could be a disadvantage for The Vikings. Norway’s World Cup qualifier campaign had eight games, where their only main challenge for the top spot was Italy. Outside of that, Israel, Estonia, and Moldova were the other opponents, and Norway went undefeated through qualification. As a member of UEFA Nations League B in the 2024/25 season, their group included Austria, Slovenia, and Kazakhstan. Norway finished top place after six games, earning promotion to UEFA Nations League A in the 2026/27 season. A major loss for the team was failing to qualify for Euro 2024. Out of all the 16 competitive matches played since January 2024, only two games were against a 2026 World Cup participant (Austria).
Within the same two-and-a-half-year timeframe, Senegal played CAF World Cup Qualifiers, Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers, and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments (winning the most recent AFCON). Out of the 25 competitive matches Senegal played, six were against the current three 2026 World Cup participants (Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, and Morocco).
Senegal has World Cup reps, having featured in the last three tournaments. Senegal has a lot of the same players from the previous World Cups playing in this year’s tournament, whereas no current Norway player in this year’s tournament played in any World Cup. None of them has even participated in their confederation’s tournament, the Euros. Senegal’s nine additional competitive match reps over Norway leading up to the tournament could be a significant factor in their approach to the game against Norway.
Senegal is battle-tested in continental and global competitive football, and this advantage will serve the team well. I’m confident it can give the team the edge over Norway.
The Senegal player that’s a must-start
Someone will come up big for the Lions of Teranga. I’m looking at the man who has made a name for himself in the city of Liverpool: Iliman Ndiaye.
He didn’t start the match against France, but he contributed an assist in just the seven minutes he played. He has to start against Norway.
It made sense for manager Pape Thiaw to start Ismaila Sarr over Ndiaye in the France match. Sarr ended the season with his club, Crystal Palace, in tremendous form, scoring 21 goals in all competitions. Although Ndiaye did not produce the same output as Sarr (six goals in all competitions), he offers a range of ways to impact a game. As an Arsenal fan, this guy really hurt us in the 2024/25 season, his debut season for Everton, as he scored the equalizer that pretty much ended all possibilities of a title. Watching Ndiaye play, he is a relentless, hardworking player, and in Senegal’s African Cup of Nations final, he gave the Moroccan defenders a hard time on the right wing. Senegal gave France too much respect in the opening group match. They hardly troubled Les Bleus and only started creating problems when they were 2-0 down, when Ndiaye combined with Ibrahim Mbaye for his consolation goal.
Ndiaye must start over Sarr.
Look at the player traits between the two Players:
Ismaila Sarr’s player trait is to the left, and Iliman Ndiaye’s is to the right (Source: FotMob).
Sarr doesn’t touch the ball much in a game. He’s able to be in the right positions at timely moments and get fed the ball to generate shots. Sarr doesn’t contribute much defensively. Ndiaye provides a more balanced game, one that is not heavily reliant on shots and goals, but having the ball at his feet to make things happen. Driving up the field to dribble past a defender in a one-on-one to create an opening for a teammate or running back to regain possession after the team has lost it, those are some of his specialties. Thiaw used Ndiaye as the starter over Sarr in AFCON, and he provided critical performances, including the game winning goal in the quarterfinals against Mali. It’s time to put Ndiaye back in the starting 11.
Senegal can advance to the Round of 32 as long as they leverage their World Cup, AFCON, and overall continental and global competitive football experience.
Ñu dem Senegaal!
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