Senegal lined up to provide Ireland a strong test
History will be made this month when the
British and Irish Lions
play in Ireland for the first time.
But for once, the
FAI
are one step ahead of their rugby equivalents having conducted a tour of their own playing countries whose nickname incorporates the lions. This tour continues on Friday when Ireland welcome Senegal (The Lions of Teranga, meaning hospitable) to the Aviva Stadium before concluding next Tuesday away to Luxembourg (The Red Lions).
Early tour results were so poor that in March Ireland had to defeat Bulgaria (The Lions) in a relegation playoff to avoid demotion to Nations League C. This was necessitated by heavy defeats both home and away to England (The Three Lions). Just to rub it in, the England Women's team (The Lionesses) recently completed their own double over our Girls in Green. After facing Ireland the Lions of Teranga will travel immediately to Nottingham to play The Three Lions to conclusively determine who really is The Lion King of international football.
This will be the first time the Boys in Green have played Senegal, but two visitors are making a quick return to Ireland. In July 2024 the Everton team that drew 3-3 with Sligo Rovers before a packed Showgrounds in the 'Séamus Coleman Derby' included both Idrissa Gana Gueye and debutant Iliman Ndiaye.
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In May, Ndiaye entered Toffees history by scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory over Southampton in Everton's final men's match at Goodison Park, their home for 133 years. Less happily, in January, Ndiaye became the first player to be booked for the hitherto unknown offence of impersonating a seagull as he celebrated his winning goal against Brighton.
Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson celebrates finding the net for Chelsea against Real Betis in the Conference League final. Photograph: Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA Wire
A number of Pape Thiaw's squad arrive with freshly minted winners medals in their luggage. Nicolas Jackson scored for Chelsea in their 4-1 victory over Real Betis in the Conference League final.
Two medal winners have recently generated 'Super Sarr' headlines. Ismaïla Sarr was a crucial part of the Crystal Palace team that secured their first major trophy by defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup. Days later, namesake Pape Sarr provided the assist for Brennan Johnson's goal for Spurs in their 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League.
When Sadio Mané requested not to be selected for the trip to Ireland, Senegal replaced him by calling up Mamadou Lamine Camara, who recently won the African Confederation Cup with his Moroccan club Renaissance Berkane. But the long-term replacement for Mané is expected to be Amara Diouf, who in August 2023 made his senior debut for Senegal against Rwanda aged 15 years and 94 days. Diouf rose to prominence aged just 14 when he helped Senegal win the 2023 under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing as the competition's top scorer.
Senegal have consistently supplied some of the Premier League's best players – not to mention its greatest hoax. In November 1996, Southampton manager Graeme Souness received a telephone call from a man purporting to be George Weah recommending he sign his cousin, Senegalese striker Ali Dia.
It always seemed odd to imagine Weah cold-calling relegation-threatened clubs to see if they wanted to sign random relatives. After all, Weah was a Ballon d'Or winner on a career trajectory that would see him serve as president of his country.
Senegalese players celebrate after Pape Bouba Diop scores what turned out to be the only goal of the game against France at the 2022 World Cup. Photograph: Jacques Demarthon/AFP via Getty Images
Perhaps, more pertinently, that country was Liberia and not Senegal. Signed on a short-term deal Dia was introduced as a replacement for the injured Matt Le Tissier in a league game against Leeds United before being himself substituted. An unimpressed Le Tisser recalled that Dia 'ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice. It was very embarrassing to watch'. This single appearance did at least enable Dia to win one football competition, finishing top of one newspaper's list of 'The 50 Worst Footballers".
Like Ireland, Senegal have qualified for the World Cup three times, with their first appearance remaining their most successful. In 2002, Senegal made the greatest World Cup debut in history, defeating reigning champions France 1-0 in the tournament's opening match.
There were memorable scenes following Papa Bouba Diop's winner as the team danced around a shirt in celebration. They went on to become only the second African team to reach the quarter-finals.
When they returned to the World Cup in 2018, Senegal made less welcome history as the first team ever to be eliminated on a 'fair-play' tiebreaker. Having finished the group stage with an identical record to Japan, they were ousted on the grounds of having received more yellow cards (six to four). To make matters worse, two of Senegal's six bookings had been received in injury time of their clash with Japan.
One Senegal-born international who has won the World Cup is Patrick Vieira, a fact highlighted by Roy Keane during their infamous prematch confrontation in the Highbury tunnel. Having read in the match programme about the good works Vieira was funding in the country of his birth, Keane less than charitably inquired 'If you love Senegal so much why don't you play for them?'.
Senegal are captained by Kalidou Koulibaly, considered such a man mountain at centre half that his nickname is 'K2″. Koulibaly was captain when Senegal won the African Cup of Nations for the only time in 2021 and plays for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, where international colleague and former Chelsea team-mate Édouard Mendy is goalkeeper for Al-Ahli. At Stamford Bridge Mendy became only the second player from Senegal (after Mané) to win the Champions League when Chelsea defeated Manchester City in the 2021 final.
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RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Heimir Hallgrimsson believes confidence growing in Ireland squad
The momentum continues to build for Heimir Hallgrimsson's Republic of Ireland team as the World Cup qualifying campaign edges closer. No victory at Aviva Stadium to add to the back-to-back wins in March, yet a hard-fought draw against a highly ranked Senegal side will certainly add to the growing confidence in this side ahead of the vital autumn games. Despite the fact that most of this Ireland squad have been idle for some weeks, and the starting eleven and formation had a large element of the experimental, the team responded to the manager's demand for a performance. Ireland took the game to Senegal from the opening exchanges and it was evident that Kasey McAteer was out to "rock the boat"; the Leicester winger looking very lively early on, whether hugging the touchline or bursting inside from the right flank. Jack Taylor was another handed his first start in a green jersey, asked to link midfield and attack, staying close to striker Adam Idah throughout the first period, and evidently working hard out of possession. Ireland's gameplan was aimed at exploiting the flanks, while quickly switching play to create space inside the Senegal half, and it was working well throughout those opening 45 minutes with the final delivery, perhaps, the limiting factor when it came to goalscoring opportunities. Will Smallbone flashed a shot wide in the 18th minute, and then three minutes later, the opening goal came, as McAteer firmly put his name in the conversation for the upcoming campaign. It was a well-worked goal that appeared to have a training ground ring to it, as the corner was delivered deep to the back post, and while Matt Doherty and Dara O'Shea appeared to be competing for the same ball, the latter's header back to the edge allowed Ryan Manning to flick it back into the mix. Nathan Collins kept it moving before McAteer's header looked to be flying into the top left corner of the net. He would have to wait a moment longer for his first international goal as Yehvann Diouf somehow managed to claw the ball out of the goal, however, the alert McAteer showed both class and composure to control the ball and finish on the spin. At that moment of the game, Ireland were in complete control and the already lacklustre Senegal appeared to fade further, however, the home side were unable to capitalise on the continued spell of dominance. The visitors then managed to kill the tempo and Hallgrimsson's side appeared content to enjoy some respite and safely negotiate their way to the half-time break. Conceding goals shortly after the break was another bad habit that Ireland slipped into in recent years – along with shots from distance – but it would appear that is being addressed by the current regime as Ireland came flying out for the second half and had two chances in quick succession to double the lead. Smallbone again, as the defence parted, allowing a well-struck shot from the edge of the box, and Manning with a follow-up effort that was worked away from goal by some last-ditch defending. Senegal were a different proposition in the second period, however, and started showing signs of that dynamic play that Hallgrimsson spoke about before the game with powerful running causing problems in the Ireland defence, with Caoimhín Kelleher protecting the lead. So by the time the saturation of substitutes flooded the pitch, Ireland were holding on admirably, while getting the competitive test that they craved with tougher days ahead when they battle for top spot with Portugal and Hungary. Ireland had five substitutes on the pitch when Senegal finally secured their equaliser, which took a certain amount of gloss off the performance, and while the manager was happy overall, he was surely ruing the fact that his side were unable to hold out for the win. "Our collective defence was good," said Hallgrimsson, speaking at the post match press conference. "We must recognise that this is a world-class team, and at times when we were defending without the ball, made them look quite average. "But mostly happy that they didn't create a whole lot of scoring chances. Caoimh made one or two good saves but apart from that I don't think he needed to do too much in this game and that is pleasing. "To be able to play against such a strong attacking team, with so much individual quality, and not concede a lot of goalscoring chances." The manager was full of praise for the man of the moment, McAteer, describing the goalscorer as a "clever footballer with a good footballing brain". "If you have watched Kasey, he has got a run for Leicester at the end of the season so you can see his progress in his club, and he brought that now into the national team. "That is always the answer you would like to have when you try out new players. "It was his first start for Ireland. So a really good first start for him. He is a confident player on the ball. He has speed, good dribbling technique and if we can isolate him one-on-one that is his strength." And the manager sees that confidence growing throughout the squad, which augers well for the September international window where Ireland open their campaign at home to Hungary before travelling to Yerevan to take on Armenia. "I think it is growing," said Hallgrimsson. "The decisions at this level need to be quick. If you are too late you are always punished at this level. "Let's be honest, we're not one of the best teams in the world and this is how we need to play against teams that will dominate possession. "We need to wait for our chances and take them when they come. In this area, confidence is growing. "We will need to be patient, these steps are taken small steps at a time, but this was really pleasing because if we wouldn't have done this as well as we did, we would have suffered against this team. "So that is confidence for me, to be able to play good teams without possession and doing that for longer periods of time." While Hallgrimsson was taking the positives, he was also clearly disappointed about certain aspects of the performance, leaving more work to do as he continues to mould the team into a competitive unit ahead of the World Cup campaign. "Again, conceding goals from crosses too many times, and in this case we were too passive in the cross. "We didn't attack the ball when the cross came and it has happened before. That is a slight confidence thing."
The 42
3 hours ago
- The 42
Clear signs that Hallgrímsson's messages are coming through loud and clear for Ireland players
THE FOCUS IN training and in the various tactical meetings with players this week has centred on two primary elements of a concise gameplan. The first was being quicker and more proactive with the good stuff that Ireland managed against Bulgaria over two legs of the successful Nations League promotion/relegation play-off in March. There may have been five changes to the starting XI from the 2-1 win in Dublin, but that didn't mean a shift or change in direction from the manager. The message came through loud and clear to be sharp and aggressive out of possession while also doing the same around the final third once they had the chance to sustain pressure. It's why, for example, you would have seen Dara O'Shea sprint from his slot on the left side of defence and follow Abdallah Sima into Senegal's half when the forward was hesitant with the ball at his feet and back to play. O'Shea had the licence to be that aggressive and quick with his closing down rather than simply passing the man on to someone in midfield who might not have had the same momentum in their stride to keep Senegal going backwards. That level of freedom for players in the moment to assess such a situation and take on the responsibility is another cornerstone of what Ireland are trying to achieve under Heimir Hallgrímsson. It was evident again two minutes after the re-start when Jason Knight anticipated a breaking ball around 35 or so yards from the opponents' goal and straight away zipped a pass to Will Smallbone so his fellow midfielder. Advertisement He let the ball run across his body, took one more touch to set himself for a shot centrally but directed it far too close to Yehvann Diouf and that allowed the goalkeeper make a comfortable save. Still, it was sharp and positive and done with purpose; exactly what management asked of the players. By that stage, of course, Ireland led after Kasey McAteer's 21st minute goal. It was his first for the Boys in Green, coming on the occasion of his fifth cap and full debut. Friendly fire, perhaps, but if it can act as a catalyst for the Leicester City winger to make a telling impact in the World Cup qualifiers to come from September through November than it will be recalled as a pivotal moment. Again, he showed anticipation and impressive instincts to get his goal, staying on the move after Ryan Manning – excellent all evening in an advanced central role and also on the left when required – kept the corner kick alive to connect with a deft header, and following up Diouf's superb save with a calm touch and sharp swivel to fire low through the legs of Abdoulaye Seck. Nathan Collins wins a header against Boulaye Dia. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Just as encouraging as that telling impact in the box was a piece of defending seven minutes before half-time that was the second element of the gameplan: stop Senegal's counter attacks. That was the second message repeated around camp all week, and when Habib Diarra looked as though he was about to break free down the left, McAteer's willingness to sprint back and nick possession drew applause around Aviva Stadium. Most pleased would have been Hallgrímsson and assistant John O'Shea as well as coach Paddy McCarthy. There were three more clear examples of Ireland players ensuring they followed the doctrine laid out. Captain Nathan Collins led by example in the ninth minute when Manning looked to have been bundled over down the left after receiving a throw in, play was waved on and with the Brentford centre back advanced to try and get on the end of a ball into the box, he ended up sprinting 40 or so yards back to stop Senegal making it out of their own half. Job done. Nine minutes later Knight and Smallbone also combined with pressure to hurry Krepin Diatta into a misplace pass from the centre when there was a break on down the left and numbers supporting centrally. Best of all, and perhaps the strongest nod yet to Hallgrímsson finding out who among his squad have the capability of being that 'bastard in the team' that he spoke of when he took charge, came on 56 minutes. After Senegal cleared an Ireland corner, Knight picked up the ball around 40 yards out and adhered to the crowd's roars of 'shooooooooot.' It was blocked down, and all of a sudden space opened up for Diatta to take the ball clear. Killian Phillips made his Ireland debut. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO He was still only midway through his own half but before he could open his legs and get into his stride Collins clattered in from behind with a type of organised clumsiness that prevented the counter. He was thoroughly apologetic for the incident, hands in the air straight away, but he knew exactly what he was doing and it was exactly what was required in that moment, and what was expected. That the Senegal equaliser on 82 minutes came after a raft of subs had been made won't soften the blow for Hallgrímsson. It would no doubt have been disallowed for offside after a VAR review had this game been one of consequence, but it was not in use so Cheikh Sabaly standing in Caoimhín Kelleher's eye line went unpunished. It undone so much good work in terms of the result but, crucially, it was a performance that highlighted how Hallgrímsson's messages are coming through loud and clear with World Cup qualifying on the horizon.
The 42
3 hours ago
- The 42
'This is a world class team and there were times when we made them look quite average'
HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON PRAISED his Irish players as he saw further progress in a 1-1 friendly draw against Senegal in Dublin. Ireland led at half-time through Kasey McAteer's goal, but were denied a win by Ismalia Sarr's late equaliser. 'Our collective defence was good', said the Irish manager. 'We must recognise this is a world class team, unbeaten now in 21 games, 19 in the Fifa rankings. And there were times when we were defending without the ball we made them look quite average. We are happy they didn't create too many goalscoring chances. Caoimh made one or two good saves but apart from that he didn't need to do much, that is pleasing. 'We needed to start on this, working on a shape that is now looking quite good. There are still a few areas, we have talked about needing to do some movements quicker, within the structure. 'To be able to play against such a strong attacking team, with so much individual quality, and not concede a lot of goalscoring chances.' Advertisement Hallgrimsson pointed to the low levels of confidence among his players when he first took the job, but says now they are climbing. 'I think it is growing', said Hallgrimsson when asked about confidence levels. 'The decisions at this level need to be quick. You need to be quick deciding what to do and act quickly. If you are too late you are always punished at this level. What I said about defence, being in structure, closing spaces: these things need to happen quicker. 'Once we repeat these things again and again it just gets it ahead and we showed that against a really good side again. We limited their chances of creating things against us and, let's be honest, we are not one of the best teams in the world, and this is how we need to play against teams that will dominate possession. 'And we need to wait for our chances and take them when they come. So in this situation confidence is growing and it is a similar setup in September, playing the stronger team at home and then flying away to Luxembourg, like Hungary at home and then away to Armenia. So it is good preparation for September. So that is confidence for me, to be able to play good teams without possession and doing that for longer periods of time. But again, conceding goals from crosses too many times and in this case we were too passive in the cross. We didn't attack the ball when the cross came and it has happened before. That is a slight confidence thing.' Hallgrimsson meanwhile praised his goalscorer Kasey McAteer, who showed Ireland have further depth among their right-sided attackers by scoring on his full Irish debut. ''If you have watched Kasey he has got a run for Leicester at the end of the season so you can see his progress in his club and he brought that now into the national team', said Hallgrimsson. 'That is always the answer you would like to have when you try out new players. 'It was his first start for Ireland, so a really good first start for him. No, he is a confident player on the ball. He has speed, good dribbling technique and if we can isolate him one-on-one that is his strength. 'He is just a clever footballer with a good footballing brain. Knows where to pass the ball etc.' The Irish boss was sanguine too about the lack of VAR, which would likely have inspected and potentially disallowed the Senegal goal for an offside. Cheikh Sabaly stood in an offisde position occluding Kelleher's view of a shot which the Irish goalkeeper saved brilliantly before Ismalia Sarr forced the rebound over the line. 'VAR probably would have given it offside, but we knew VAR was not in house and we cannot complain. The referees did a really good job today, they had a really good flow to the game. I was really happy with the referees.'
