World Cup: Senegal welcome pressure of decisive Ecuador clash, says Cisse
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Senegal coach Aliou Cisse during a press conference at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha on Monday.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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AL RAYYAN, Qatar – Senegal coach Aliou Cisse said his team are expected to reach the World Cup knockout stages due to their status as African champions, but his players are adapting to the pressure well.
Having reached the quarter-finals on their World Cup debut in 2002, Senegal were eliminated in the group stage on fair-play points four years ago in Russia.
Senegal need to beat Ecuador in their final Group A game on Tuesday to qualify for the last 16.
They could still remain in contention with a draw, provided hosts Qatar beat three-time finalists Netherlands.
“I come from a country where we don’t like losing,” Cisse told reporters on Monday. “We’re always hungry for that win. Not going to the round of 16 would be difficult to digest.
“We’re okay, we’re dealing with the pressure and stress. For me, it’s good stress.”
His side lost 2-0 to the Dutch beat Qatar 3-1
“We understand that winning will allow us to continue on the adventure and that’s exactly what we intend on doing,” he said.
“We know in 2018 we were looking for a draw when maybe the points would play in our favour but this isn’t the case tomorrow.
“We’ve got the right mixture of veterans and players, players who are used to these types of challenges.”
Ecuador need a win or draw to qualify, after beating Qatar 2-0 and outplaying the Dutch in a 1-1 draw to go joint top of Group A.
If they lose, they must hope for the Netherlands to be beaten by Qatar by a bigger margin.
They are sweating on the fitness of captain Enner Valencia, 33, after he was carried off late in the Netherlands draw with a recurrence of a knee strain.
He has scored all three of Ecuador’s goals in Qatar, adding to the three in Brazil in 2014, and is their key to reaching the knockout round for only the second time.
“I hope he won’t be playing tomorrow,” Cisse joked.
“I don’t really know (Valencia) in particular but I can see that he is a warrior and he’ll want to be part of the team for a game like this.
“I think the whole Ecuadorean team is a great team, they are very aggressive and they defend well. I know that my team will be focused tomorrow.”
Valencia, however, insists he is all right, saying: “My knee’s OK. I hope to be OK to keep helping the team.”
His coach Gustavo Alfaro added: “He has a big heart and he wants to be in every battle for us. He is an extraordinary player and I would always pick him.
“If not from the beginning, I hope he can be present at some point. But he will want to be there.”
The Argentinian said his players should expect their toughest game yet against the African champions, who are ranked 26 places above his 44th-placed side.
“We respect the pecking order, but we don’t need to be fearful. We remain calm but that doesn’t mean we are overconfident,” he said.
“We have our own way of playing, we are not just thinking of getting a draw. We have to come to the pitch trying to win the game.
“We are creating our own pathway. We want to progress, we want to seal our passage, we want to play the best World Cup in Ecuadorean history.” REUTERS
