Sadio Mane is confident of the progress of Senegal at the 2026 World Cup after sealing a place in the knockout stage.
The Terenga Lions secured a crucial 5-0 victory over Iraq to finish third behind France and Norway on Friday.
Mane is yet to find the back of the net in the ongoing competition, although he played all the three group games.
The forward believes Morocco is not the only hope of Africa and insisted that his side can make Africans proud in the global tournament.
“Absolutely. I respect Morocco they’ve done great things for African football. But sometimes people talk as if Senegal no longer exists. We are African champions for a reason. We have leaders, quality, experience, and a squad that knows what it takes to compete at the highest level,” Mane told a reporter.
“Without a doubt. You don’t win 5-0 at a World Cup by accident. We wanted to remind everyone what this team is capable of. We stayed focused for 90 minutes and showed our mentality. If people weren’t paying attention before, they should be now.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but don’t forget Senegal. We don’t need the hype we’ll earn our respect on the pitch. This team has the belief to go very far in this World Cup, and tonight was only the beginning.
“Exactly. Keep talking about everyone else if you want. We’ll keep winning games. When this tournament is over, I believe people will remember why Senegal are one of Africa’s strongest football nations.”
Senegal’s best performance at the World Cup was in 2002 when the team reached the quarterfinal stage.
