Despite a determined Ismaïla Sarr, Senegal — led by captain Kalidou Koulibaly — were dominated by Norway’s Erling Haaland, who scored twice in a 3–2 victory in their second group match.
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With two defeats, the Lions are close to elimination ahead of their third game against Iraq.
Senegal’s Lineup Decisions
Senegal stuck with the same lineup that lost to France (1–3) in their opening match. Coach Pape Thiaw did not adjust his team, keeping Koulibaly, who was short of fitness, and Sarr, who had been wasteful, on the right wing. Ibrahim Mbaye, who had impressed against France and even scored, was left on the bench.
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Key Match Moments
Sarr salvaged his performance with two goals and was the most dangerous attacker, but Koulibaly struggled badly, being involved in all three goals conceded.
- On the opener, his clearance deflected to Marcus Pedersen, who beat goalkeeper Édouard Mendy (43’).
- For Norway’s second, Koulibaly’s failed tackle allowed Martin Ødegaard to set up Haaland for his third goal of the tournament (48’).
- Five minutes later, Haaland struck again after Koulibaly’s poor clearance.
Koulibaly was substituted in the 72nd minute after a difficult outing. Thiaw had already switched tactics earlier, bringing on Ibrahim Mbaye and Ismail Jakobs (54’) to move from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2, though Norway were already 2–0 up.
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Senegal’s Struggles
Senegal’s problems worsened when goalkeeper Mendy was injured in the 63rd minute. He had earlier saved his team with a point-blank stop from Kristoffer Ajer (3’) and a one-on-one against Ødegaard (38’).
Although Senegal kept possession for long spells, chances belonged to Norway. Their first shot came only in the 28th minute through Nicolas Jackson, off target. Sarr forced the first save in stoppage time of the first half (45’+1). Later, he gave Senegal hope with a goal in added time (90’+3), but it was too late.
Implications for Senegal
It was a clear defeat for Thiaw’s men, who failed to threaten consistently and were undone by defensive errors. With two losses, their qualification chances are slim, though still mathematically possible with a final group match against Iraq, who lost to France (3–0). This time, Thiaw cannot afford mistakes in his team selection.
