Senegal head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw believes his team has left its group-stage struggles behind and is fully prepared for a fresh challenge when it faces Belgium in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of the knockout encounter, Thiaw described the next phase of the tournament as “a new competition,” stressing that Senegal’s difficult path to qualification would have little bearing on what lies ahead.
The African side endured a challenging start to its World Cup campaign, suffering defeats to France and Norway while conceding six goals in the process. However, a commanding 5-0 victory over Iraq in their final group match secured qualification as the eighth-best third-placed team, edging out Iran on goal difference.
“We needed to win the game against Iraq, and now we are qualified,” Thiaw said. “It’s a new competition that’s going to start, and we are determined to win this game.”
He added that success in the group stage offers no guarantees in the knockout rounds, pointing to the Netherlands’ recent elimination by Morocco on penalties as proof that any team can be beaten.
“It’s a different competition starting tomorrow, and it’s not because you finish top of your group that you are not going to be knocked out,” he said.
Despite Senegal’s inconsistent performances, Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia has warned against underestimating the Lions of Teranga, describing them as the strongest of the third-placed teams to advance.
Reflecting on his team’s earlier defeats, Thiaw acknowledged that Senegal had shown promise against France before eventually losing 3-1 and had paid the price for costly mistakes in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Norway.
“The goals we conceded were linked to a lot of individual errors,” he said. “When you come up against France and Norway, you cannot afford to make those mistakes.”
The coach expressed confidence that those defensive lapses have been addressed in training ahead of Wednesday’s match.
Senegal will, however, be without first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, who remains sidelined with the injury he sustained against Norway. Mory Diaw deputized in the victory over Iraq and is expected to continue between the posts.
Thiaw confirmed that Mendy has returned to rejoin the squad after receiving treatment with his Saudi Arabian club, Al-Ahli.
“Edouard Mendy went back to his club and he’s going to get back with us tonight,” Thiaw said. “He will be with us tomorrow, even if he won’t be fit to play. We are happy to see him and we hope that he can be with us for the rest of the competition.”
