Senegal coach Aliou Cissé believes holding Brazil to a 1-1 stalemate in an international friendly match on Thursday will not only improve the confidence of his team but also promote its status.
Both teams honoured their FIFA break assignment at Singapore National stadium, with most of the star players from both sides in attendance, including PSG’s Neymar, who marked 100 caps for the Seleçao.
Liverpool striker Firmino put Brazil ahead after 9 minutes while Bristol City striker Famara Diedhiou grabbed the equaliser for Senegal through penalty in first half added time.
“Not every team can hold Brazil to a draw in 90 minutes. We showed character and maturity. The result is a huge boost for our project of building a strong and competitive team capable of winning continental and international tournaments,” Cissé told www.ACLsports.com on Friday.
“If you look at the stats you will realise that it was a balanced game. Brazil had 11 shots while we had 10, 4 on target for each side. Ball possession was 53% (Brazil) and 47% (Senegal). Pass accuracy 90% (Brazil) and 85% (Senegal). So, I can say both teams displayed equal strength and withstood each other.”
The Teranga Lions are yet to win any major competition. They were finalists of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations and narrowly missed the ultimate once more at this years’s edition in Egypt.
Cissé, who came on board in 2015, has been nursing the ambition of winning a silverware with the team. He believes the Brazil test will help his mission.
“We have quality players and we have the ambition to do something great. Playing a good game against such a successful team (Brazil) provides more exposure and I think that can play a huge role in our mission,” he said.
Senegal will return to action next month against Congo in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers.
