🇸🇳SenegalWest Africa
Lukaku anticipates balanced match between Senegal and Belgium
via SeneNews4 min read
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku has commented on the upcoming World Cup 2026 round of 16 match between Belgium and Senegal, describing it as a balanced encounter. Lukaku highlighted the overall quality of the Senegalese team, noting their technical, tactical, and physical strengths, and predicted a 50-50 contest. He also addressed the situation of his teammate Amadou Onana, who has personal ties to Senegal, emphasizing that players must remain focused on their sporting objectives for Belgium. Lukaku discussed his own role within the national team, stating his commitment to the collective effort despite debates about his playing status. He dismissed notions of decline in his career and reaffirmed his dedication to the Belgian selection. Furthermore, Lukaku mentioned his long-standing relationship with former Senegalese midfielder Cheikhou Kouyaté, whom he hopes to meet after the match. The highly anticipated game is expected to be an intense duel for a spot in the quarter-finals.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
Must ReadThe Senegal national football team departed their New Jersey base on Monday afternoon for Seattle, where they are scheduled to face Belgium in the World Cup round of sixteen on Wednesday. After more than two weeks at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, the Lions will establish a new camp in Seattle. Journalists and supporters were present at their departure. Players and technical staff boarded a bus for the airport, while other delegation members used FIFA-provided vehicles. The team was expected to leave Newark Airport for Seattle around 6:30 PM, with a flight duration exceeding six hours. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was the only absentee, having returned to his club Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia for further examinations following an injury sustained against Norway in the second match. The match between Senegal and Belgium, scheduled for Wednesday at 8 PM 1 PM local time at Lumen Field Stadium in Seattle, will be the first encounter between the two teams. Senegal finished third in Group I, behind France and Norway, having lost to both teams 3-1 and 3-2 respectively. A decisive 5-0 victory against Iraq allowed the Lions to qualify as one of the eight best third-placed teams. They will now face Belgium, who topped Group G after a win against New Zealand and draws against Egypt and Iran. A training session is planned for Tuesday, the day before the match against Belgium. The Senegalese delegation will extend their stay in Seattle if they qualify for the quarterfinals.
SeneNews will provide live coverage of the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match between Germany and Paraguay, scheduled for Monday, June 29, 2026, at 8:30 PM Dakar time. The game will take place at Gillette Stadium. Live updates will include the score, goals, substitutions, cards, and key highlights. The article also lists the starting lineups and coaches for both teams. Germany's coach is Julian Nagelsmann, and their starting eleven includes Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich, Antonio Rüdiger, Jonathan Tah, Nathaniel Brown, Felix Nmecha, Aleksandar Pavlović, Leroy Sané, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz, and Deniz Undav. Paraguay's coach is Gustavo Alfaro, with a starting lineup featuring Orlando Gill, Juan Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez, José Canale, Junior Alonso, Miguel Almirón, Damián Bobadilla, Andrés Cubas, Matías Galarza, Julio Enciso, and Gabriel Ávalos. Substitutes for both teams are also provided.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, announced it will soon allow users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers by introducing usernames in an upcoming update. This change means phone numbers will no longer be automatically shared when adding users to group chats or sending a first message to an individual or business. WhatsApp stated this is a "privacy feature," and to contact someone, their username will be required. Due to WhatsApp's large user base of over 3 billion people, many users may not get their first choice of username. The company indicated it would gradually roll out username reservations starting Monday, informing users in each affected country as the feature becomes available, though no specific timeline was provided. Creators, small businesses, and organizations will be able to request to use the same username they have on other Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram.