Pape Thiaw 'not worried' after Senegal fall to defeat in FIFA World Cup opener

The Lions of Teranga went down to 3-1 in their Group I opener in New York as Kylian Mbappe hit a brace to become France's all-time leading goal scorer.

Senegal were more than a match for the 2022 World Cup finalists, especially in the first half, but did not take advantage of a few gilt-edged chances in front of goal.

Thiaw said after the game: "If we had been more clinical, we could have gone into half-time with a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, we failed to convert our chances. In the second half, France were much more efficient than us.

"There were some mistakes, it was a collective mistake. Sometimes we had a low line block and we were very passive on the pitch and we need to be more aggressive for the ball carriers so that certain passes don't happen like (when France scored)."

Thiaw insists they have enough experience in the squad to still be a force at the World Cup, with Senegal next taking on Norway next Tuesday.

"I'm not worried. We have competitors and players with character in this group. We know what we have to do: get points to qualify. The match against Norway will be extremely important, and we have to win it.

"We are convinced that we still have every chance of qualifying. Now we need to lift our heads. It's been a long time since this group lost its first match in a major competition.

"We still control our own destiny with two matches to play. We must remain focused and do everything we can to win the upcoming matches in order to qualify for the next round."

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