A Senegal star has revealed what he feels are the key factors that caused his side to lose to England in their 2022 FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash on Sunday night.
The African champions were considered a potential dark horse going into the tournament, but an injury to Sadio Mane less than two weeks before the showpiece's kick-off in Qatar was a big blow to their ambitions.
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Despite that, though, the African nation progressed to the first knockout stage after finishing second in Group A with two wins and a loss.
With the Lions of Teranga having the chance to be the first African team ever to defeat England, Aliou Cisse's side fell short in the round of 16 and were eventually sent home following a 3-0 loss to the Three Lions as Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka got on to the scoresheet.
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has since given some insight into why the team was not able to match Gareth Southgate's side in the crucial tie.
"Dealing with defeat is not difficult. We came up against a better team than us, we have to accept that, England played at their best," the Chelsea shot-stopper said, per Goal.
"They also had all their players at their disposal while we were missing some key players.
"We had to play without Sadio [Mane]. We also had Idrissa [Gueye] and Cheikhou [Kouyate] missing.
"So, when you play against a team like that with key players missing, it is complicated.
"But throughout the tournament and throughout the year, we have shown that Senegal is more than 11 players, it is a group.
"We will continue to move forward, to progress and we will come back stronger in the 2026 World Cup, God willing."
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Nottingham Forest star Cheikhou Kouyate missed the crucial tie through injury, while Everton's Idrissa Gueye was suspended after accumulating yellow cards in the matches prior. against the Netherlands and Ecuador.
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