Pape Thiaw: "We are ready to die for Africa and Senegal"

Senegal has a strategy to neutralize Norway's star striker Erling Haaland, but head coach Pape Thiaw warned that Norway possesses other dangerous players ahead of their crucial World Cup clash in New Jersey.

Senegal kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 loss to tournament favorites France. Thiaw understands that another defeat would severely complicate their path to the knockout stages, even with a final group match against Iraq still to come. Norway thrashed Iraq 4-1, with Haaland netting twice, but Thiaw insists it would be a mistake to focus solely on the prolific forward.

"This isn't a plan against Haaland; it's a plan against Norway," Thiaw told reporters.

"We have defenders who have played in high-level tournaments and faced strikers of this caliber before. When we come up against Haaland, we need to be alert. But the most important thing is how we stop the Norwegian team as a whole."

Thiaw stated that Senegal had no illusions about their task before the tournament began. While the result against France was a setback, they still have two more "finals" ahead.

"We are in a tough group; we knew that from the very beginning," he said.

"All three matches are like finals. We lost the first, but there's still everything to play for. We cannot afford to make mistakes against Norway. Everyone is ready and eager to get involved and put in a good performance. We are ready to die for Africa and Senegal."

Senegal has not kept a clean sheet at the World Cup in any of their last 12 matches, a streak dating back to their debut tournament victory against France in 2002.

"It's true that we've conceded a lot of goals. There's no more room for error now," Thiaw admitted.

He also confirmed that ongoing negotiations with the Senegalese Football Federation regarding a new contract have been positive.

"The issue is resolved. It took too long, and it wasn't about money, but about principles and respect," he stated.

Thiaw also dismissed questions concerning alleged player dissatisfaction with conditions at their training camp in New Brunswick.

"It's true there were a few inconsistencies that needed to be ironed out, but regardless of whether they came from the players, the coaching staff, or the Football Association, we are all focused on tomorrow's match," he concluded.