Cisse: 'Absence of Mane is a problem for us' - Senegal coach rues missed chances against Netherlands

• Cisse disappointed with lack of efficiency in front of goal
• Senegal coach calls on his forwards to improve going forward

• Teranga Lions tactician hoping to see better against Qatar & Ecuador

WHAT HAPPENED? Senegal created numerous chances but wasted them before the Netherlands beat them 2-0 late on, through Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen’s goals. Cisse believes they should have buried some of the opportunities had Bayern Munich star Mane been in the team.

WHAT DID CISSE SAY? "We are disappointed to have not scored, we had two or three very good chances. We needed to be more effective in front of goal," Cisse said after the match.

"Ismaila [Sarr] and Krepin [Diatta] are responsible there, but of course, the absence of Mane is a problem for us. Our attackers are good and we know what they are capable of.”

"It was a challenging game. We need to work on it (scoring goals) with Ismaila and the others. We expect a lot from him and Krepin."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: In the absence of Mane, who is out of the tournament due to an injury, Cisse went with Sarr on the left wing where Mane usually plays, with Boulaye Dia upfront while Diatta played on the right.

However, while Sarr was lively, creating a number of chances, they lacked the clinical edge in front of goal as only four of their 15 shots were on target, something Cisse wants them to improve on before their next games against Qatar and Ecuador.

Senegal should have been ahead by the time the Dutch scored with the European side also helped by some poor goalkeeping from Edouard Mendy, who failed to deal with a cross in the box to hand Gakpo the opportunity before Klaassen scored from a rebound after the Chelsea custodian spilt Memphis Depay’s shot.

WHAT’S NEXT? Senegal’s next match is on Friday against hosts Qatar when Cisse will be hoping to see some improvement from his forwards.