Senegal coach: “Ivory Coast coach warned us about the way Egypt play”

Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw spoke ahead of their highly anticipated clash in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, following recent comments made by Côte d’Ivoire coach Emerse Faé. Read them here.

Egypt and Senegal are set to face each other on Wednesday at 5:00 PM GMT, in the AFCON 2025 semi-final.

Speaking during the pre-match press conference, Thiaw said:
“Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané are world-class players, but the most important thing is the Egypt national team as a whole. We are prepared to impose our identity and hurt them football-wise.”

He added:
“We analyzed Egypt very well. They have been delivering strong performances since the beginning of the Africa Cup of Nations and fully deserved to reach the semi-finals.”

Thiaw went on to highlight Egypt’s mentality and discipline, stating:
“The Egypt national team have great mental strength and a high level of tactical discipline, and we will work to disrupt that balance.”

The Senegal coach also expressed his readiness for all scenarios:
“I am prepared for every possibility. The last two matches were decided by penalty shootouts, and if someone told me today that we would win on penalties tomorrow, I would accept immediately.”

Referring directly to Emerse Faé’s warns, Thiaw said:
“Emerse Faé, the Ivory Coast coach, warned us about the way Egypt play. As usual, we are preparing to neutralize everything that could harm us, and we are ready for that.”

He concluded by acknowledging Egypt’s historic status:
“Egypt are the most successful team in Africa in terms of titles. We will face a strong team that is used to these kinds of matches, but we are determined to win while staying true to our playing philosophy.”

Senegal defeated Egypt in their most recent two meeting, winning on penalties to secure qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and also beating them in the 2022 AFCON final.

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