Why Belgium staged a comeback against us - Senegal coach Thiaw explains

Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw has disclosed that his side’s decision to defend their two-goal lead in the latter stages of the game contributed to their 3-2 defeat to Belgium.

Senegal suffered a cruel loss to Belgium in the Round of 32, abruptly ending their journey in the tournament.

They took a 2-0 lead through Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr in the early stages of the game but lost their defensive shape and concentration. The Red Devils leveled the score at 2-2 within four minutes through strikes from Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans. An extra-time penalty from the Aston Villa midfielder sealed a 3-2 win for Belgium.

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Explaining the disappointing result, Thiaw indicated that the team’s decision to sit back and defend their lead ultimately hurt them, as Belgium gained momentum during that period.

He added that after the score was leveled at 2-2, the technical team encouraged the players to keep attacking for a winning goal, but their efforts were unsuccessful as they eventually conceded again.

"We had the match in hand, winning 2-0, and then we backed off a little towards the end; we wanted to hold onto the score. Once we conceded 2-1, we retreated even more and they scored their second goal.

"It wasn’t easy; we tried to lift their spirits and bring more energy to the team. It’s not easy because they gave it their all. We wanted to qualify for the people," he told the media after the game.

Watch the video bellow:

🇸🇳 Pape Thiaw: ​"We had the match in hand, winning 2-0, and then we backed off a little towards the end; we wanted to hold onto the score. Once we conceded 2-1, we retreated even more and they scored their second goal.

"It wasn't easy; we tried to lift their spirits and bring… https://t.co/6UrDavIRpA pic.twitter.com/7keGUS8WFu

— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) July 2, 2026

SB/JE

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