Senegal suffered a 3-1 defeat against France in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday. Captain Kalidou Koulibaly acknowledged a strong first-half performance by his team, but lamented their inability to convert scoring opportunities. He attributed the loss to France’s efficiency in capitalizing on Senegal’s mistakes in the second half, specifically citing three goals scored directly from Senegalese turnovers. Despite a late attempt to narrow the gap, a third French goal sealed Senegal’s fate. Koulibaly expressed disappointment with the result but urged his team to quickly regroup and prepare for their next qualifying match. He believes maintaining a two-goal difference would have improved their chances of a comeback.