After losing to Brazil in their previous game, Croatia redeemed herself by beating Senegal 2-1 in a friendly game that took place on the 8th of June.

I really understand the need for friendly matches. I know that they are the best way to prepare teams before a major tournament like the World Cup. My concern is what are the implications of a friendly game on the losing team? For a team like Senegal that has qualified for the World Cup, the taste of loss has not been very present in its mouth, hence, losing in a friendly match just before the main tournament can be a shock. It might make a team question its potential. Most importantly, it might discourage the fans that have enjoyed the pleasure of screaming after every game.  At the end of the day, a friendly match can be the reason why a team takes a dented team spirit and suffocating confidence to the main game.

However, soccer is not just about kicking the ball, but it is a character engineering mechanism. It teaches some good character traits such as resilience. It is such friendly matches that remind us that, as Africans, we believe that nothing beats a growth mindset and we African fans are rallying behind Senegal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. Senegal are grateful to Croatia for helping us identify our mistakes. Sadio Mane and his squad will work on them and we will be ready for the tournament!