Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw said his side’s Round of 32 exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was painful after the Teranga Lions surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Belgium after extra time.
Senegal appeared to be on course for the Round of 16 after goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr put them 2-0 ahead. But Belgium struck twice late in normal time before completing the comeback with a stoppage-time penalty in extra time.
In a post match intervew Pape Thiaw said, “We’re out, it hurts.”
“We must congratulate the team, who gave it their all, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to hold on to our two-goal lead. Congratulations to the Belgian team, who have gone through. We have to accept this, that’s football.”
Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku, who started the comeback with an 86th-minute goal, praised his team’s character and paid tribute to Senegal.
“I’ve had enough of these matches. It was intense, but we gave it our all. We were trailing, but we showed character. In matches like this, that’s what it takes. This Senegal side is one of the best teams in the tournament. Technically, physically and tactically, it was really tough. But when we stepped up the intensity of our pressing, when we were there for the second ball, our team spirit shone through, and we won the match. It’s victories like this that we need to bring this squad even closer together,” Lukaku said.
Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra admitted his side failed to build on a strong first half.
“We’re disappointed. We had a good first half, but it wasn’t enough. A match lasts 90 minutes, and we’re devastated. It’s very tough. I don’t know what to say. When you’re on the pitch, you have to give your all, and that’s not what we did. We’ve only got ourselves to blame.”
Belgium’s comeback set up a Round of 16 clash with the United States, while Senegal became the latest African nation to exit the tournament.
