Koulibaly : « Je sais que les supporters sont déçus, mais il faut rester unis Trois buts encaissés, c’est lourd »
Senegal began their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 defeat against France on Tuesday, in their opening Group I match. A frustrating start for the Lions, even though their captain Kalidou Koulibaly believes his team showed some promising signs against one of the tournament favorites.
In the mixed zone after the match, the Senegalese defender, speaking to Taggat, lamented a defeat he considered harsh given his team's performance. "It's a shame. We know very well that Senegal likes to start competitions well. Unfortunately, we didn't do it well. It was a very difficult match against a team that has played in the last two World Cup finals. They are one of the best teams in the world and an example for many nations," said the Lions' captain.
Koulibaly particularly praised his team's first-half performance. "I think we have nothing to be ashamed of in the first half. We put them under pressure and showed some good things. In the second half, they came back with more pressure and punished us for some turnovers."
The Al-Hilal defender, however, believes that the final score does not fully reflect the balance of the match. "Conceding three goals is a heavy blow. I think it's undeserved. But football is played on details, and today we were punished in a few situations."
The Senegalese captain identified several areas for improvement before the upcoming matches. "We need to correct the details, especially turnovers. Defensively, we need to do better. Conceding three goals in a World Cup is a lot. Offensively, we also need to be more efficient. We had chances, but we weren't able to convert them."
Kalidou Koulibaly also spoke about the psychological weight surrounding this match, largely marked by memories of the historic 2002 victory against France. "There was a lot of mental energy surrounding this match. Everyone was talking about 2002 and drawing parallels with this game. Now that this match is over, we can fully concentrate on our World Cup."
The Senegalese defender also acknowledged that some players lacked match fitness after a period of inactivity. "We mustn't forget that some players were returning from injury or hadn't played much recently. That's the case for me, Idrissa Gana Gueye, and Pape Diao. Despite that, I think this match is encouraging for the future."
Finally, the Lions' captain thanked the Senegalese fans in the stands and called for unity ahead of the two crucial matches. "The fans were incredible today. I want to thank them because we play for them. We will do everything we can to give them a victory in the next match. I know they are disappointed, and so are we, but we must remain united. It is through unity that we can go as far as possible in this competition."
Kalidou Koulibaly 🇸🇳©️: "I know we disappointed, there are many fans who are disappointed today. But let's stay united, because it is through unity that we will go the furthest."
» pic.twitter.com/llLeXzPEA1
— Taggat (@taggatsn)
Commentaires (20)
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter, TikTok ou Instagram pour l'afficher automatiquement.
Se connecter
Commentez avec votre profil, votre photo, et soyez averti des réponses.