EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — With Senegal in a difficult spot in World Cup group play, coach Pape Thiaw is not revealing how many changes he might make for his team's game against Norway on Monday night.
“Am I going to shake things up a bit? Well, you’ll find this out,” Thiaw said through an interpreter at a news conference Sunday.
Senegal hung in tough against tournament favorite France for the first half of its opener Tuesday before losing 3-1. Édouard
Mendy allowed three goals on eight shots in that game, which included Kylian Mbappé scoring from long range moments after Senegal finally got on the board in stoppage time.
Reserve goalkeeper Mory Diaw accompanied Thiaw to the news conference, but denied his appearance may indicate he would start in place of Mendy.
Senegal has only Iraq left to play after facing Norway in Group I, so the Lions of Teranga are treating their second game as if it is a must-win final.
“We’re in a very tough group; we knew this coming in,” Thiaw said. “We obviously lost the first one, but there’s everything left to play for. We cannot get this wrong.”
Whoever is in net — and on the field — for Senegal, the biggest challenge is slowing down Erling Haaland, the high-scoring striker who had two goals in a 4-1 rout of Iraq on Wednesday after leading Europe with 16 in qualifying.
“Yes, Haaland, but it's not Haaland alone,” Diaw said through an interpreter. “Haaland by himself, he can’t do anything. He needs his teammates, so it’s not how do we stop Haaland. It’s up to us to be prepared for the game against Norway.”
Diaw was echoing Thiaw, who said his plan was to neutralize Norway as a team. Of course, that begins with Haaland, who scored 27 goals in 35 Premier League games for Manchester City this past season and has 57 internationally.
“Haaland obviously doesn’t need any introducing,” Thiaw said. “We’ve got good defenders. We’ve got very high-level defenders who have played in very high-level competitions and have come across strikers of this caliber.”
After reports lingered for months that Thiaw was coaching without a contract, he said he now has one. He declined to say how long it was for, calling the details confidential and the timing less than ideal.
“It took too long,” Thiaw said. “But it was not really a money issue. It was more principles and respect issue, but it’s been resolved.”
Thiaw also acknowledged players had some problems but said they have been worked out. Amid reports that Senegal is enduring food issues without a team chef at the World Cup, Diaw was asked what his complaints were and responded that the team handles issues internally.
“I don’t think we need to come and air our dirty laundry here,” Diaw said. “We’ve got a group of players, professional players, and we’re here to represent our Senegalese country and that’s what we’re here to do . And we’re trying to do the best that we can (Monday night). And all of the other problems or these scandals, there’s nothing that’s going to take away from our focus on our common objective.”
Haaland and his teammates would move on to the round of 32 with a victory. Norway is in the World Cup for just the fourth time and first since 1998.
Reaching the round of 16 is the furthest Norway has advanced at the tournament. It is a slight favorite against Senegal.
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