Senegal Coach Confirms Bad News: Key Player Out Against Belgium

Coach Pape Thiaw confirmed that the Al-Ahli goalkeeper will miss his second consecutive World Cup match after sustaining a knee injury during the 3-2 group stage loss to Norway.

Mendy has returned to his club team in Saudi Arabia for further tests. The 34-year-old goalkeeper did not participate in Tuesday's training session in Seattle, but Thiaw expects him to rejoin the squad.

“He will be with us tomorrow, of course, even if he’s unable to play. We hope he can stay with us until the end of the tournament,” Thiaw stated.