Head coach of Senegal, Aliou Cisse, has dedicated their win over Ecuador to Sadio Mane after the Teranga Lions sealed their spot in the Round of 16.
Goals from Ismaila Sarr and Kalidou Koulibaly, in between Moises Caicedo’s strike, gave Senegal a 2-1 win to qualify as runners-ups from Group A. And Cisse paid tribute to Mane, who has been instrumental to the side, but missed the tournament through injury.
“I would like to dedicate this victory to a man who is doing extraordinary things for the country, who is unfortunately not here today. This man is called Sadio Mane,” Cisse said after the match.
“We don’t know who we’re going to come up against in the round of 16, it could be England, it could be Wales, Iran, USA, anyone.
“Then that will be a new stage for us. We know that we are moving to the knockout stage, which is completely different from what we are used to playing in these types of [group] matches.
“Everyone is a good team, the best teams in the world that are competing. Therefore, we need to be prepared to come up against any side. It is now a win-or-lose situation, there are no second chances, if you win, you go through, if you lose, you go home.
“So, for the moment, we are just going to concentrate on resting and getting fit for the next game, it is simple as that.”
