El Hadji Malick Diouf: "The main thing is not to lose."

After Senegal's draw against Mozambique (1-1) on Friday, during the first day of the AFCON-2027 qualifiers, El Hadji Malick Diouf spoke at a press conference about the Lions' performance.

The Senegalese defender believes that the team had prepared its game plan well, but particularly regrets the opportunities that were not converted in the first half.

“We had prepared this game system well. It worked well in the first half and I think we could have scored more. But we conceded a goal due to some details,” he said.

Despite the result, El Hadji Malick Diouf praised the fighting spirit displayed by his team. He also highlighted the difficulty of traveling to Africa, particularly for a Senegalese team now highly anticipated by its opponents.

“I think the mindset was good. But we all know here in Africa how difficult away games are. Senegal is the team to beat, because everyone wants to beat us,” he explained.

For the player, the away draw remains a (good) result to take, even if the Lions aim to win every match. "The main thing is not to lose. For now, it's not a bad result. Now, we have to stay focused on the second match, which will also be very difficult. In Africa, all matches are tough," he added.

"All away matches will be difficult."

El Hadji Malick Diouf also expects to face the same level of difficulty in Senegal's upcoming matches. He urges his teammates to learn from this first game, especially after a less controlled second half.

"We're going to try to work on it again, especially on the second period, because we played two different periods. The main thing is to stay focused and prepare well for the second game," he said.

The defender is also aware that the Lions will face particular scrutiny in their upcoming away matches. "All away games will be difficult. It will be up to us to stay focused and be ready to fight for victory in every match, because everyone wants to beat Senegal," concluded El Hadji Malick Diouf.