World Cup Focus: Senegal suffer Saliou Ciss injury blow

by Graeme Jackson

Monday Jun 18, 2018. 16:00

The Senegal national team have been dealt a huge blow with news that defender Saliou Ciss will miss the rest of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Ciss has been ruled out of the 2018 World Cup in Russia with an ankle injury ahead of their opening Group H match against Poland on Tuesday, according to the BBC website.

The 28-year-old left-back suffered the injury in last month's friendly against Luxembourg and has not recovered sufficiently.

Meanwhile, coach Aliou Cisse has called on France-based defender Adama Mbengue as a replacement to boost their defence.

The 24-year-old replacement was on the four-man standby list and will join the team in Moscow.

"Saliou Ciss can no longer participate in the World Cup because of a serious injury that occurred during our team's preparation," the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) said in a statement.

According to FIFA rules, teams are only allowed to replace injured players 24 hours before their opening games.

At their first and only World Cup appearance in 2002, where the West Africans were led by then captain and now coach Cisse, they reached the quarter-finals and beat a star-studded French side in the group stages.

Just after their opener against Poland on Tuesday, the Senegalese will face the Japanese on June 24 and then Colombia four days later.