Senegal coach Pape Thiaw hailed his players’ mentality and focus after they came from behind to beat Sudan 3–1 in Tangier and reach the AFCON 2025 quarter-finals.
The former champions were stunned early but responded with authority to keep their title defence on track.
Reflecting on the game, Thiaw underlined how hard his team had to work against a disciplined opponent. “We played against this very disciplined Sudan team and they showed that they got to this stage by merit,” he said, noting that falling 1–0 behind demanded a big reaction. “We needed to dig deep to come from a goal down to be able to win the match.”
The coach reserved special praise for his players’ concentration and ability to recover emotionally after the early setback. “I give credit to my players for the way they focused on the game and recovered to win the match,” Thiaw added.
Looking ahead, he made it clear that Senegal’s ambitions remain high: “Now we will focus on the next match by correcting some of the mistakes we noted in this game and pursue our goals with intensity.”
