The Lions of Senegal faced a disappointing outcome against the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire, suffering a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the play-offs for the 2014 World Cup. The lone Senegalese goal came in the last minute of the match courtesy of Papiss Cissé. This significant scoreline of 3-1 puts Alain Giresse and his team in a challenging position for qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil.
The Senegalese press did not mince words in its assessment of the performance. The online information site senebe.com referred to the result as a “humiliation,” emphasizing the magnitude of the defeat and suggesting that Senegal might concede the highest number of goals during the first phase of the play-offs.
Similarly, senego.com expressed skepticism about Senegal’s chances for qualification, stating that it would be “irrational.” The site described the defeat against Ivory Coast as a “disillusionment” and highlighted the apparent mismatch between the Lions and the Elephants.
The disappointment from this defeat is expected to resonate within the Senegalese population, and reactions are anticipated in the aftermath of this challenging result.
