Senegal failed to secure a two-goal lead as Belgium eliminates the Africa giant from the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Following the game, Villarreal midfielder Pape Gueye sensationally threatened to quit the national team over the manager’s decision to substitute him in the second half. .
Senegal looked to be cruising into a Round of 16 clash against the USA thanks to goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr. However, the game turned on its head after Gueye was substituted in the 64th minute for Lamine Camara.
Pape Gueye looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between Norway and Senegal. (Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Belgium struck twice in the final ten minutes through Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans to force extra time. The turnaround was completed in the 125th minute when Tielemans converted a penalty following a VAR intervention.
Not pleased with his coach decision, Gueye took to social media to vent his fury.
Gueye, who played an important role for his country during the tournament, did not hold back in his assessment of the management. Writing on his Instagram story, the midfielder stated: “l’Il be back to give you a few words regarding elimination… but l announce today that as long as it’s this technical staff l’II take a break from the selection.”
Despite the player’s outburst, Head coach Pape Thiaw defends his decision to remove Gueye and other key stars while leading.
Thiaw insisted the changes were not tactical blunders but were forced by the physical condition of his squad.
“They were tired and couldn’t continue. Leaving them on the field would have been unprofessional on our part. We had to replace them, like for like,” Thiaw explained. “Of course, when you lose a match after leading 2-0, people inevitably talk about the substitutes. But you can’t reduce everything to that. These changes were primarily dictated by fatigue, more than by tactical considerations.”
Reflecting on the Belgium loss, a dejected Thiaw added: “We just lost a match that was really important to us. We wanted to qualify for the Senegalese people, we thought we deserved it, but unfortunately, we are eliminated. I am sad, the players are sad too, because they really wanted this qualification.”
