Senegal vs Algeria - Sadio Mané: "I was angry because I wanted to win"

Angry throughout the match against Algeria (0-1), Sadio Mané admits to our microphone his nervousness, justifying it by his love of winning.

Senegal lost their first home match since 2012 on Tuesday, September 12. The loss to Algeria (0-1) was hard to digest for the national team players, especially star player Sadio Mané. During the 90 minutes on the pitch at Stade Abdoulaye Wade, the Lions' number 10 was surprisingly nervous. Clearing the ball after a foul had been whistled against him. Attacking the referee to the point of forcing Pathé Ciss to come and calm him down to avoid going head-to-head with the referee. A foot dragging along the touchline on Atal's ankle. A journalist pushed to the edge of the pitch as he made his way to the dressing room after the final whistle. Sadio Mané's behavior surprised many.

When asked by Sport News Africa why he was so nervous after the match, Sadio Mané explained that the tension was due to his desire to win. "We're competitors and that's part of our job. It was just a situation where I wasn't myself. I was angry because I wanted to win. I'm not satisfied with the performance, especially mine.We lacked efficiency and that comes at a high price," declared the new Al-Nassr player.

If competitive spirit is the reason given by the player to justify his surprising behaviour, we can also believe that his slump in form over the last few months and his inability to return to 100% fitness may be a reason for his nervousness.

This article originally appeared on Sport News Africa.

Image via Olympics.com.