Vieira targets Senegal improvement despite first win in 2027 AFCON qualifiers

[p]The Arsenal legend had drawn 1-1 in his first game in charge of the Lions of Teranga against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mozambique/2aBNiivt/"]Mozambique[/a] on matchday one.[/p][p][b]Against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ethiopia/4AGUPqC2/"]Ethiopia[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a] needed only 11 minutes to score what turned out to be the winner in a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ethiopia-4AGUPqC2/senegal-hOIsJLJr/?mid=hfQ8McEs"]1-0 success[/a]. Aston Villa duo of Nicolas Jackson and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbaye-ibrahim/nkxtcGo7/"]Ibrahim Mbaye[/a] combined with the latter finding the back of the net.[/b][/p][p]Ethiopia almost caught Senegal napping twice following defensive mistakes but the Lions of Teranga held on for a 1-0 half-time lead.[/p][p]The second half did not produce any goals as Senegal failed to come up with a meaningful opportunity. Speaking after the matchday two fixture, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vieira-patrick/AaLVdEGK/"]Vieira[/a] conceded there was still a lot of work to be done before the West Africans hit their best form.[/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="5a8aedce-dd49-4a93-bec4-a87613f49484" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="bf5b94ce-d292-4ba3-9b26-c3de3edbcec8" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][h2]Senegal lacked attacking aggression[/h2][p][b]“I think that overall, when we had the ball, we could have done better. That’s an area for improvement,”[/b] Vieira told the media as quoted by Wiw Sport.[/p][p]“But it was very complicated with the state of the pitch. I think we were disciplined. We could have taken the lead in situations where we managed to get the ball out cleanly, but we lacked a bit of attacking aggression.”[/p][p]Vieira added: [b]“We had some one-on-one situations where we could have done better. But again, as I told the players: there’s a new game plan being implemented.[/b][/p][p]“Everything won’t be perfect, everything wasn’t perfect. But we still have a lot of insights into the areas we need to improve.[/p][embed guid="7e1b3e3b-cf3e-4b2a-9bd8-bf501d5af3e3" url="https://x.com/EthiopiaFF1/status/2104948554594701601" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]“Winning against Ethiopia gives us confidence. I think we’re really on the right track.”[/b][/p][p]The former Crystal Palace manager praised his charges for how they managed the difficult periods against an Ethiopian side, who were aggressive to get something from the game.[/p][h2]‘Performance very encouraging’[/h2][p]“It was a very complicated match, I knew that. I spoke with some very experienced players. There are no easy matches,” added Vieira.[/p][p][b]“But I’m happy with how we were able to weather the storm and manage those difficult moments. And I think that’s an improvement compared to the last match we played. It’s very encouraging.”[/b][/p][p]The ex-French international concluded: “Now, there are things we need to improve: managing these periods of pressure and periods of weakness.[/p][p][b]“But again, I think we can be more aggressive in attacking to capitalise on the chances we’re creating. But overall, I’m satisfied with how we managed these periods of pressure.”[/b][/p][infobox id="db74bfd9-cd62-42c7-8f2b-4dfcbe20d17f" /][p]Substitute Idrissa Gana Gueye said: “We knew it would be a difficult match. In Africa, no match is easy.[/p][p][b]“We have a new staff, so it’s still early to see everything that’s being worked on in training. We’ve had a glimpse of it.”[/b][/p][p]Gueye added: [b]“It was important to get the three points. Because we drew last time, even though we played well. So, taking the three points, no matter how, was good to continue the work calmly.”[/b][/p][p]Despite the win, Senegal remained second in Group J behind Mozambique, who hammered Sudan 4-1 to move to four points.[/p][p][b]The Mambas took the lead in the 24th minute through Witi before Chamito doubled the advantage almost immediately after the restart.[/b][/p][p]Guima made it 3-0 in the 58th minute before Chamito struck again four minutes later to complete his double and give the hosts a commanding four-goal advantage.[/p][p]Senegal will conclude their FIFA break with an international friendly against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/comoros/QLUC9wv3/"]Comoros[/a] on October 4th at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France.[/p][image alt="Dennis Mabuka" id="009ee08a-c012-41bf-bdae-acba9770ea19" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="27756547-2e51-4786-8776-1c98a3e1c1f2" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]