liman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye were both withdrawn before the end as Senegal’s World Cup came to an end, beaten 3-2 after extra time by Belgium in a Round of 32 tie in which Senegal led twice before falling to a Youri Tielemans penalty deep into a second period of extra time.
Both Everton players started for Pape Thiaw’s side, and both were heavily involved as Senegal pushed Belgium far closer than most expected.
Gueye’s night as Senegal’s engine
Gueye was, as ever, handed the responsibility of anchoring Senegal’s midfield against a Belgium side built around Kevin De Bruyne’s creativity, and for close to two hours he did exactly the job asked of him.
Sports Mole’s ratings praised him as the standout performer in Senegal’s engine room, noting he tested Thibaut Courtois from distance on a couple of occasions as well as driving Senegal up the pitch. Athlon Sports scored him a 7 out of 10, one of the higher marks handed to any Senegal player on the night.
Gana’s role had shifted from game to game throughout the tournament depending on what Senegal needed. Flashscore’s data-led ratings system, which tracks his tactical function match by match, showed him dropping into a defensive block against stronger opposition but becoming the side’s main creative outlet when Senegal dictated the tempo.
Against Belgium, in one of the biggest games of his international career, it was the latter version of Gueye that turned up.
His night ended in extra time, replaced by Bara Ndiaye as Thiaw looked to freshen up his midfield with the tie still finely balanced. Belgium’s winner arrived after Gueye had left the pitch.
Ndiaye’s role wide right
Ndiaye’s night was different. Handed a rare World Cup start, out wide, he combined well with his teammates down the right and caused problems for Belgium’s defence in open play, without getting on the scoresheet. Athlon Sports also rated him a 7, a solid mark by his own attacking standards even without a goal or assist to show for it.
He was withdrawn during the hydration break in extra time, with his replacement, 18-year-old Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, missing a clear chance to restore Senegal’s lead shortly after coming on.
It meant Ndiaye, like Gueye, watched the closing stages from the bench as Belgium turned the tie around.
A game Senegal should have won
For most of normal time, Senegal looked the better side. Habib Diarra put them ahead in the 24th minute, and Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead early in the second half. Both goals came from moves that ran through a Senegal midfield in which Gueye played a central role, with the team building attacks with pace and directness that repeatedly troubled Belgium’s back line.
It took Romelu Lukaku coming off the bench and two Tielemans strikes, the second a penalty deep into extra time, for Belgium to turn the game around. The Opta supercomputer had rated the tie close to a coin flip beforehand, and for most of the 120 minutes that assessment looked right.
What it means for Everton
Senegal’s exit brings the international window to a close for both players, with Gueye’s Everton contract up this summer and his future at the Hill Dickinson still to be resolved.
For Ndiaye, it was a first World Cup campaign that should have done his reputation no harm, even in defeat. His suitorsd will have been watching.
Both now return, maybe, to pre-season with their own questions to answer: Gueye over his next club move and Ndiaye the same as well as building on a tournament in which he looked at home on the biggest stage.
Everton supporters watching from home will have taken something from what they saw, even with the result going against their two players in North America.
