Senegal beat Peru 2-0 in Saint-Denis on Saturday, a friendly that looked more like a stress-test for J. Koto's new-look 4-3-3 than a soft rehearsal. The locals dominated the ball, circulated it with purpose, and got the clarity they wanted in both penalty areas.
The breakthrough came in the 41st minute. Nicolas Jackson scored after Ibrahim Mbaye slipped him into space, the winger rewarded for an evening of direct running on the right touchline. It arrived only three minutes after Marcos López had been booked for a late challenge, a sequence that underlined how Senegal’s pressing began to pin Ó. Ibáñez’s 4-2-3-1 into its own third.
A second goal followed swiftly. Ismaïla Sarr scored in the 54th minute, the left flank again exposing the gaps around Oliver Sonne and Miguel Araujo. By then Senegal had produced 11 shots inside the box and the scoreline finally reflected the territorial control evidenced by their 60 percent possession and 646 total passes, 590 of them completed.
Understandably, Koto demanded aggression from the midfield line. Idrissa Gueye, the captain, recycled possession relentlessly while Lamine Camara stepped into the half-spaces to steer the press onto Yoshimar Yotún and Erick Noriega. Pape Gueye’s exit in the 67th minute invited Habib Diarra to tidy up, yet even after the triple substitution that also replaced Jackson and Mbaye, the structure held. Krépin Diatta and Moussa Niakhaté marshalled the rest defence, limiting Peru to two shots on target. Mamadou Sarr took a yellow card in the 70th minute for halting a Peru break but otherwise the centre backs were scarcely stretched.
For Ibáñez this was a reminder that his squad, still balancing veterans with emerging domestic talent, lacks rhythm. The triple swap on 58 minutes, with Jesús Pretell, Joao Grimaldo and Jairo Concha arriving together, briefly raised Peru’s passing tempo but the side still relied on long diagonals toward Alex Valera. Adrián Quiroz, introduced in the 69th minute, forced Mory Diaw into his sharpest save yet the visitors never sustained pressure. López’s booking, alongside the late introductions of Fabio Gruber and Jesús Castillo in the 85th minute, signalled how much of the night was spent in firefighting mode.
Statistics:
- Shots on target: Senegal 6, Peru 2
- Total passes: Senegal 646 (91 percent accuracy), Peru 434 (82 percent accuracy)
- Corners: Senegal 7, Peru 6
- Fouls: Senegal 12, Peru 7
- Yellow cards: Senegal 1 (Mamadou Sarr 70'), Peru 1 (Marcos López 38')
Senegal now travel with confidence into the next international window, buoyed by Jackson and Sarr finding the net and by the assurance given by a largely second-string defensive unit. Peru must regroup before their next tune-up, with Ibáñez needing solutions in midfield circulation to avoid another evening spent chasing shadows. For more from this international slate, see Lithuania 0-2 Georgia: Mikautadze delivers in Kaunas.
