{"id":2299,"date":"2026-06-27T16:47:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/koulibaly-senegal-paid-for-costly-errors-as-norway-edge-them-in-group-clash\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T16:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T13:47:26","slug":"koulibaly-senegal-paid-for-costly-errors-as-norway-edge-them-in-group-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/koulibaly-senegal-paid-for-costly-errors-as-norway-edge-them-in-group-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"Koulibaly: Senegal paid for costly errors as Norway edge them in Group clash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly admitted he and his team made crucial errors in their Monday World Cup group-stage defeat to Norway, a result that has left the African side on the brink of going out early.<\/p>\n<h2>Group-stage blow and what it means<\/h2>\n<p>Norway won 3-2 to secure qualification for the next round, joining France in advancing. Senegal, despite being viewed as strong outsiders before the tournament began, are still searching for their first point and now face a demanding scenario.<\/p>\n<p>To keep any realistic route to the knockout stage alive, Senegal must beat Iraq in Toronto on Friday. Only a victory would give them a chance of being among the best third-place finishers.<\/p>\n<h2>Koulibaly\u2019s verdict after the 3-2 loss<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking to reporters after the match, Koulibaly insisted that the margin at the highest level is razor-thin and that Senegal paid for their lack of precision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the top level, football comes down to the details. The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins. Today, I made a lot of mistakes and that\u2019s a real shame,\u201d he said. \u201cThe standard at the World Cup is very high and so there is no room for error. We made too many mistakes to stand any chance of winning the match.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Where Senegal\u2019s mistakes cost them<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Koulibaly misjudged a clearance, and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy could not keep out substitute Marcus Pedersen\u2019s sharp shot, which gave Norway the lead just before halftime.<\/li>\n<li>The 35-year-old defender was also held responsible for Erling Haaland\u2019s two second-half goals.<\/li>\n<li>Senegal\u2019s back line repeatedly slipped, but the team still threatened at times on the counter-attack, showing flashes of danger despite the defensive problems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Senegal\u2019s response, standout moments, and next match<\/h2>\n<p>Even with a string of defensive errors, Senegal found ways to fight back. Ismaila Sarr scored twice, including a strike in stoppage time, to pull the contest closer and keep hopes alive.<\/p>\n<p>Koulibaly also reflected on Senegal\u2019s mindset after falling behind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChasing the game is very difficult. Mentally, the team reacted well though. Despite the setbacks, there was a surge of energy and the players did everything they could to try and secure a draw but we didn\u2019t manage it. You have to believe until the very end,\u201d he added, noting that he was replaced in the 72nd minute.<\/p>\n<p>With the focus now on survival, the captain made clear what Senegal must do next.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow we have to believe right to the end. We\u2019re going to play a big match against Iraq and try to win,\u201d Koulibaly said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly admitted he and his team made crucial errors in their Monday World Cup group-stage defeat to Norway, a result that has left the African side on the brink of going out early. Group-stage blow and what it means Norway won 3-2 to secure qualification for the next round, joining France in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2298,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Senegal vs Norway: Koulibaly Errors Cost World Cup Spots","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Kalidou Koulibaly concedes Senegal\u2019s costly mistakes as Norway beat them 3-2, pushing the African side to the brink in the World C","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Senegal vs Norway: Koulibaly Errors Cost World 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