#WorldCup: Mbengue replaces injured Ciss in Senegal squad
Senegal have replaced defender Saliou Ciss with Adama Mbengue after failing to recover from an ankle injury in time to play at the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
The Valenciennes left back sustained the injury during Senegal’s 0-0 draw against Luxembourg in a warm-up match on May 31.
There were hopes Ciss could shake off the setback but he has been unable to get back to shape to be in contention for the Teranga Lions’ World Cup Group H opener on Tuesday.
Coach Aliou Cisse opted to take advantage of Fifa’s rule that allows teams to call up a replacement until 24 hours before their first game at the tournament, having recognized that Ciss was not going to regain full fitness in time.
His replacement, 24-year-old Adama Mbengue, from Ligue 1 club Caen, arrived in Russia on Sunday, having been on standby over the last weeks.
Senegal’s change came a day before the deadline for final injury replacements. World Cup participants can only swap injured players up to 24 hours before their first game at the tournament.
Senegal take on Poland in Moscow on Tuesday. They will also face Japan and Colombia in their other group games as they aim to reach the knockout stages, as they did in their only previous participation in 2002.
Source: www.footyafrica.com