Aliou Cisse paid tribute to the absent Sadio Mane after Senegal booked their World Cup last-16 spot with a 2-1 win over Ecuador on Tuesday.
The Lions of Teranga leapfrogged their opponents into second in Group A as objectives from Ismaila Sarr and Kalidou Koulibaly sealed their development to the knockout stage for the primary time since 2002.
The consequence additionally noticed Senegal turn into the primary African nation to beat a South American facet on the World Cup since Cameroon overcame Colombia in 1990, ending a 21-game winless run.
Senegal’s talisman Mane was dominated out of Qatar 2022 after struggling a leg harm for Bayern Munich within the build-up to the match, however Cisse’s ideas shortly turned to the ahead within the aftermath of his facet’s large win.
“I would like to dedicate this victory to a man who is doing extraordinary things for the country, who is unfortunately not here today. This man is called Sadio Mane,” he stated.
Senegal face the winner of Group B on Sunday, and Cisse says his facet will likely be well-prepared for any opponent.
“We don’t know who we’re going to come up against in the round of 16 – it could be England, it could be Wales, Iran, USA, anyone,” Cisse added.
“Then that will likely be a brand new stage for us. We know that we’re shifting to the knockout stage, which is totally totally different from what we’re used to enjoying in these kinds of [group] matches.
“Everyone is an efficient staff, one of the best groups on the planet which can be competing. Therefore, we’d like to be ready to come up towards any facet.
“It is now a win or lose state of affairs, there aren’t any second possibilities – should you win, you undergo, should you lose, you go residence.
“So for the moment, we are just going to concentrate on resting and getting fit for the next game, it is simple as that.”
1 – Senegal turned the primary African nation to beat a South American facet on the #FIFAWorldCup since Cameroon v Colombia in 1990, ending a 21-game winless run (D4 L17). Lions. pic.twitter.com/NJEnlMdfHs
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 29, 2022
Ecuador head coach Gustavo Alfaro lamented the positive margins that noticed his facet miss out on the final 16 and confirmed he wants a while to resolve whether or not he’ll stay within the job.
“The margin of error was meagre and small details made the difference,” he stated after seeing Moises Caicedo’s second-half equaliser adopted by Koulibaly’s winner simply moments later.
“We made key mistakes in the game. The pain of this defeat does not need to overshadow the achievements of this side, and we hope the experience serves them well in the future.”
Asked about his personal place, the Argentine added: “I need time to know what I am going to do with my professional career.”
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