Ismail Jakobs will probably never forget these seven words from his coach. “Get your stuff, you can play,” Senegal coach Aliou Cissé told the native of Cologne two hours before the World Cup opener against the Netherlands.
“In the meeting, the team manager suddenly came in and talked to the trainer. After the meeting, the trainer took me aside,” Jakobs told dpa. In the 62nd minute, the 23-year-old came on for the injured Leipzig professional Abdou Diallo.
FIFA only approved the change of nationality on the day of the match and decided positively on Jakobs’ eligibility to play.
Jakobs is optimistic about the Qatar game
“If it hadn’t been for this problem, I would have played from the start,” said the AS Monaco professional.
Despite the defeat, Jakobs is optimistic about the next group games against hosts Qatar and Ecuador: “We played well and we’re going into these games with confidence. Of course we believe we can beat Qatar.”
The full-back was confident that the team could compensate for the loss of superstar Sadio Mané.
“The guys who played up front did really well. It’s their chance to play in the spotlight. But of course it hurts that Sadio can’t play,” said Jakobs.
Change of dressing only in the last year
Ismail Sarr from FC Watford stood out in Senegal’s offensive, who repeatedly caused big problems for Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The son of a German mother and a Senegalese father won the European Championship title with the German U21 selection in 2021, but then opted for the African association.
In September this year, the 23-year-old made his first two friendly appearances for the Teranga Lions. Jakobs went through various youth teams at 1. FC Köln and made his debut for the Rhinelanders in the Bundesliga before moving to the French Ligue 1 top club AS Monaco in 2021.