Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy will undergo examinations on a suspected ligament injury through Tuesday and Wednesday, said Teranga Lions captain Kalidou Koulibaly.
Speaking after the side’s 3-2 loss to Norway on Monday night, Koulibably sharing that the fitness setback suffered by their stopper impacted the African champions mentally in Monday’s defeat by Erling Haaland and co.
Mendy was replaced, in some discomfort, by backup keeper Mory Diaw in the 63rd minute, with Koulibaly later revealing how the setback destabilised the West Africans.
“He has a small issue, a little strain to his medial ligament [in his knee],” Koulibaly told ESPN. “This hurt us as well, I think it affected the players mentally.
“We’ll need him to do some tests [on Tuesday and Wednesday], and I hope it’s nothing too serious because we really need him. The group needs him too.”
As had been the case against France, Mendy made a serious of critical saves to keep Senegal level pegging with their opponents in the contest. Against, Norway, he made three saves before being replaced with 27 minutes still to play.
Notably, he stopped Kristoffer Ajer from point-blank range during the opening exchanges, and then denied Martin Odegaard when the Arsenal man was played through one on one, before Marcus Pedersen eventually broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute.
“His presence, whether on the field or off it, is very important,” Koulibaly added. “You can even see him on the bench getting up and giving us instructions, so he’s very important for motivating us.
“We have a younger team, with many players just starting out, while he’s played for many clubs and in many big matches. I think he motivates a lot of people.”
Mendy was part of the Chelsea side that won the Champions League in 2021 – becoming the first African goalkeeper to clinch UEFA’s biggest prize in the process – while he’s also been part of this Senegal generation that have reached three of the last four Africa Cup of Nations finals, winning two.
Haaland’s double in the second half – both coming before Mendy was replaced – took the bout beyond Senegal, who nonetheless responded twice through Ismaïla Sarr.
They must now defeat Iraq in Toronto on Friday and hope that other results go their way in order to qualify as one of the best placed third-placed teams on three points.
Despite Mendy’s heroics, a backline that was once among the most resolute in Africa has looked porous at the World Cup, with Koulibaly in particular falling short of his high standards.
It’s left the Teranga Lions with a minus three goal difference that ideally needs to be overhauled in their final game to give them the best chance of progress.
