Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye believes the Lions of Teranga were unfortunate to suffer a 3-1 defeat against France in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the scoreline did not accurately reflect the performance his team delivered.
The West Africans started their Group I campaign with a setback against one of the tournament favourites, but Gueye remains confident that Senegal can learn from the experience and recover in their remaining fixtures.
“We started this match well. Unfortunately, in the second half, we conceded those goals. I think the scoreline is very, very harsh, but it’s a football match,” the experienced midfielder said after the game.
“It’s only the beginning of the competition, and this match will allow us to correct the mistakes we made and be ready for the next one. That’s the most important thing.”
Senegal matched France for long periods, particularly during an encouraging first-half display, but the momentum shifted shortly after the break when the 2018 world champions found the opening goal.
Gueye admitted that his side struggled to regain their rhythm afterwards, despite creating opportunities that could have changed the direction of the match.
“We conceded that goal very early in the second half, and then we lacked a bit of rhythm to score the equaliser. There were chances, notably Jackson’s goal that was disallowed. I think if we had scored it at 1-1, it would have changed the game,” he explained.
Despite the disappointment, the Everton midfielder praised France’s quality and experience, acknowledging the challenge of facing a team that has reached two consecutive World Cup finals.
“Today, we were playing against a very good French team, two-time World Cup finalists. That’s no coincidence. They knew exactly what they were doing,” Gueye added.
With two group-stage matches still to play, Senegal’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages remain alive. Gueye stressed that the team’s objective remains unchanged and that full focus has now shifted to their crucial next match against Norway.
“Now we have to concentrate on the next match. The objective is still there, which is to get out of the group stage first. We still have two matches ahead of us, and we need to prepare them well,” he concluded.
Senegal’s clash against Norway now carries significant importance, with the Lions of Teranga needing a positive result to revive their World Cup campaign and keep their dream of advancing to the knockout stages alive.
