Historic Senegal head coach Aliou Cisse has confidently stated that his team will turn around their first leg result against Egypt and consequently qualify for the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup.In their first match since winning their maiden Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) title in the 2021 tournament, the Lions of Teranga lost 1-0 to Egypt – a side that they defeated in the AFCON finale as they lifted the trophy – in the first leg of the final round of the African World Cup qualifiers, consequently putting them at a disadvantage going them into the second leg.Egypt makes a step towards Qatar as goals prove hard to find once more in an AFCON final rematchHowever, Cisse, who brought glory to the national team for the first time in their history, has remained positive following the result, stating that the reigning African champions should not panic because they will achieve their quest of making it to the prestigious World Cup tournament if they polish on the only area that made them lose.”The Senegal team must keep all its serenity and calm for the return match despite the 1-0 defeat recorded against Egypt since it does not reflect the state of play. This must allow us to be confident for the qualification to the World Cup. We have to stay calm and work to improve our efficiency which is what was missing in our game,” the Senegalese is quoted on CAF’s website.The mastermind behind Senegal’s #TotalEnergiesAFCON 2021 glory 👌Happy birthday to @Fsfofficielle’s head coach, Aliou Cisse 🥳Enjoy your day! 🙌pic.twitter.com/5YVDnMDv0B— CAF (@CAF_Online) March 24, 2022 “Egypt only scored on their only chance of the match and we just have to work to be more effective in both legs,” Cisse added.Reflecting on the performance of the day, the former player turned coach was left delighted with what he saw from his troops, giving him hope that they had what it takes to overturn the tie.”I am satisfied with the game produced by the players. Nothing is lost, we have a second leg to play at home and we have to work with a view to reversing the result. We are confident in our capabilities and we are going to improve and seek the victory that will qualify us for the World Cup,” Cisse remarked.A win and a draw for the Pharoahs against the Lions of Teranga in the #WCQ! 🏆Who will book their ticket to the #WorldCup? 🎟️@EFA | @Fsfofficielle pic.twitter.com/e6tPmL1d4h— CAF (@CAF_Online) March 20, 2022 Senegal will host the second-leg of the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday at 2000EAT.
