SEATTLE (AP) – Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy missed the first round of the tournament against Belgium. world cup Wednesday due to injury.
On Tuesday, coach Pape Thiau confirmed that Al Ahly’s goalkeeper will miss their second consecutive World Cup match due to a knee injury. Senegal lost to Norway 2-3 In group play.
Mendy returned to his club team in Saudi Arabia for further tests. The 34-year-old goaltender did not participate in Tuesday’s training session at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle, but Thiau expects him to be back Tuesday night.
“Of course, he will be with us tomorrow, even if he is not fit to play,” Thiau said in French. “We are happy to see him and hope he can stay with us for the remaining games.”
Since making his debut in 2019, Mendy has appeared in more than 50 games for Senegal and started all four games at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Senegal have two other keepers on their roster. Molly Diaw, who plays for Le Havre in the French first division, also started against Iraq in place of Mendy against Norway. The 33-year-old goalkeeper made one save and kept a clean sheet. Senegal won 5-0 to conclude group stage play.
“Molly had a great performance and didn’t concede a goal,” Thiau said. “We hope we can keep a clean sheet for the goalkeeper tomorrow.”
The other goalkeeper is Yevan Diouf, who also plays for Nice in the French first division. The 26-year-old has two career caps for Senegal.
Senegal advanced to the Round of 32 as one of the top eight teams in third place. After losing to France and Norway, they defeated Iraq and finished with three points and a goal difference of plus two.
Belgium finishes in first place in Group G with a draw. egypt and Iran and Won against New Zealand 5-1.
The winner of Wednesday’s game will remain in Seattle to face either the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 6.
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Owen Cameros is a student at Penn State University’s John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.
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