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Rabat – Following the defeat against Norway, Kalidou Koulibaly stated that Senegal’s campaign is far from over. He called on his teammates to refocus and reminded everyone that the former African champions remain a tough opponent.
“At the highest level, football comes down to the finest details,” Koulibaly told the media. “The team that makes fewer mistakes wins. We made errors today, I made several myself and it’s incredibly frustrating because losing a match this way hurts, especially on the World Cup stage.”
He continued: “We must beat Iraq and keep believing until the very end. I know this is a tough moment after the defeat and the mistakes, but we need the fans to stand by us. We cannot stop here. This team was, after all, the African champion.”
“This is the World Cup, not a series of friendlies. If you lack the motivation to play here, you shouldn’t be here. I believe everyone will be ready, starting with me. Whether I am on the pitch or supporting from the sidelines, I will be fully behind my teammates till the final decision rests with the coach.”
The defender added: “The ultimate goal is to secure qualification. Senegal and our people deserve that. Our performance over these two matches fluctuated between good and very poor, so we must correct things quickly. We need a strong performance to beat Iraq and advance.”
“Nothing is easy,” he concluded. “People thought our group would be a walkover, but we are seeing it is actually one of the toughest. Now, beating Iraq is non-negotiable. We will give everything to win. They will try too, but we have much more to lose. We will play like lions and deliver a massive performance.”
Following a tough 3-2 loss to Norway, Senegal faces a must-win match against Iraq to keep their World Cup alive. Despite two goals from Ismaila Sarr, defensive errors and a brace from Erling Haaland handed the Lions of Teranga their second straight defeat, leaving them with zero points heading into the final Group I matchday.
