Coach Pape Gueye makes a bombshell as Senegal withdraw from the World Cup after Belgium staged a dramatic comeback to win 3-2 in extra time.
Pape Gueye threatened to give up his right to represent Senegal while his staff remained in charge. (Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Senegalese star Pape Gueye went on strike from the national team and got into an argument with head coach Pape Tiau. The Villarreal midfielder has said he will be away from the team while the technical team is put in place following the 3-2 World Cup defeat to Belgium.
Guye, 27, dropped the bombshell news on social media after the African nation was reeling from being eliminated from the World Cup. Senegal conceded two goals in two and a half minutes against Belgium, which they were eliminated from in the round of 32, and lost 3-2 in overtime, giving them a chance to advance to the last 16.
Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr have built a comfortable lead for Senegal, which looks set to qualify for Tuesday’s Round of 16 showdown with the United States. But goals from Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans kept Rudi Garcia’s side from blushing as the Aston Villa star converted a penalty in the 125th minute to secure victory.
Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletter now.
In a post on his Instagram Stories, the 27-year-old said: “We’ll talk about the selection later… However, I’m announcing today that as long as this technical staff member, the selection will be suspended.”
Gueye was sent off immediately after the match, leaving Senegal with a two-goal lead, but Thiau brought on Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara.
The game came alive in the final 10 minutes when Romelu Lukaku scored from a narrow angle to close the gap. Before Senegal could fully adjust to their halved advantage, Tielemans equalized after Leandro Trossard’s cross.
Pape Gueye took to Instagram to criticize Senegal’s coaching staff for threatening to go on strike. (Image: p.gueye/Instragram)
Belgium were in a difficult situation, but before they could open the door to a comeback, they suffered a crushing defeat to Senegal. Tielemans turned the game around for Garcia’s side after the video assistant referee intervened and awarded a penalty towards the end of the second half of extra time.
Speaking after the defeat, Thiau said: “We lost a really important match for us. We wanted to earn a spot on the Senegalese team and we thought we deserved it, but unfortunately we were eliminated.”
“I’m sad, and the players are sad too, because they really wanted this.”
Youri Tielemans wins against Belgium (Image: Getty Images)
Gueye, who scored twice in the 5-0 win over Iraq, was replaced by Kamara just after the hour mark. The 45-year-old suggested some of the changes were forced as players called on the manager to sack him.
Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye and Sunderland’s Khabib Diarra were substituted in the second half before the comeback, while Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gana Gueye were sent off in extra time.
Thiau said: “They were tired and couldn’t continue. It was unprofessional of us to leave them on the field. We had to replace them. It was unprofessional to leave them on the field.”
“Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2-0, people inevitably talk about substitutions. But everything cannot be reduced to that. These changes were mainly determined by fatigue, rather than tactical considerations.”
Mauricio Pochettino’s Belgium defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 and will face the United States in the next round. Florian Balogun equalized zero from Herro and scored before being sent off, but Malik Tillman scored the winner with eight minutes remaining.
Wednesday’s sending off was the latest flashpoint in a controversial few months for Senegalese football after coach Thiau dragged his players off during the memorable Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco. Senegal awarded the hosts a penalty in stoppage time, prompting the tactician to call his players off the pitch in protest of the decision.
When play resumed, Senegal overpowered Morocco in extra time to secure a famous victory, but a 90-minute sending off has since led to the match being declared a forfeiture.
