Senegal’s journey in Qatar was halted by a defeat to England, just as was the case when they lost against Ivory Coast earlier this year in the AFCON knock out stages.
When questioned about his priorities between AFCON and a deep World Cup run, Cissé didn’t hesitate to state his stance.
“I’d prefer to win another AFCON in Morocco in 2025, rather than have a crazy run in the World Cup.
“The AFCON is special. Even if you win a World Cup, an AFCON is still something special.
“I know that Senegal are capable of winning the World Cup in the future. That is clear. With this generation that are coming of age, they are capable of doing big things,” the Senegalese boss added.
He added that such progress can only start with his men “Qualifying for the upcoming AFCON in 2025,” and then having a great tournament to “bring back the title that alluded us in Ivory Coast.”
![UCL: Gyokeres told he was 'barely visible' during Sporting vs Arsenal clash Viktor Gyokeres endured a frustrating return to Lisbon as Arsenal squeezed out a 1-0 win over Sporting CP in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, with the striker coming under heavy criticism from the Portuguese media. The Swedish forward, who previously starred for Sporting, was largely ineffective throughout the encounter at the Estadio Jose Alvalade. Despite a strong reception from home supporters, his performance failed to match expectations. Local outlet A Bola summed up his performance bluntly, stating: “The striker celebrates with a mask, [but] seemed masked: he was barely visible.” Other publications echoed similar sentiments, with O Jogo noting that Sporting “stifled” their former talisman, while Público described him as “largely absent from the game.” Gyokeres, who scored 97 goals in 102 appearances during his time in Portugal, managed just 17 touches and struggled to impose himself against a defence that appeared well-drilled in neutralising his strengths. Numbers speak to a difficult outing Statistically, his performance showed lack of impact. His only notable involvement came in the build-up to a disallowed goal for Martin Zubimendi, where he was flagged offside. A late effort on goal, comfortably handled by Rui Silva, summed up an underwhelming night for the forward, who was unable to replicate his usual clinical edge that led Arsenal to invest heavily in his signing. Substitutes changed the game With Gyokeres struggling to influence play, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta turned to his bench for inspiration. The introduction of Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz proved decisive. Havertz eventually delivered the breakthrough with a stoppage-time winner, sealing a narrow advantage for the Premier League side ahead of the second leg in London.](https://www.gistreel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/InShot_20260408_124324008-220x124.jpg)
