SEATTLE, United States, July 2– Senegal manager Pape Thiaw said football could be “cruel” after his side’s World Cup campaign ended with a 3-2 extra-time defeat to Belgium on Wednesday.
Senegal led 2-0 through goals either side of halftime from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr. The African side looked set for victory before Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans struck in the last five minutes to force an additional half hour. Tielemans scored again by converting a 125th-minute penalty as Belgium advanced to the last 16. “It’s a cruel defeat,” Thiaw told a post-match news conference. “We played well and led 2-0. But a football match doesn’t last 85 minutes. Belgium came back and we weren’t able to deal with that. We had our chances, but we have to congratulate Belgium on progressing.” He said it was difficult to accept the decision to award Tielemans a penalty after Lamine Camara was deemed to have fouled the Aston Villa midfielder. But the 45-year-old declined to criticize the referee. “When the penalty was awarded, we had our own interpretation,” Thiaw said. “We didn’t believe it was a penalty. Our players challenged the decision because that was our right. Belgium converted the penalty, and that was the goal that eliminated us.”
Thiaw said his team would learn from the defeat and refused to blame his players for surrendering its two-goal lead. “I believe we played well,” he said. “It’s always easier to speak after a victory. We have to analyze what happened, identify where we can improve and learn from what didn’t work so we’re better prepared for the next competition.” He added: “There’s already a lot of noise about this defeat. It’s never easy to lose, especially when victory seemed within our grasp. Football is a cruel sport. We have to accept the result, difficult as it is, and move on. It’s not easy for me or the players. We wanted to take our country into the last 16, but now we have to look ahead.”
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