Senegal concluded their international break with a 1-0 friendly victory over Comoros at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome, with Iliman Ndiaye scoring after five minutes.
Ndiaye, who has a strong connection with Olympique de Marseille, struck early in his former club’s stadium to give Patrick Vieira’s side a narrow win. Senegal were occasionally exposed by Comoros on the counter-attack, but a disciplined performance, led by a particularly assured Kalidou Koulibaly on his return to the starting XI, ensured they kept a clean sheet.
The result was Senegal’s second successive 1-0 victory, following their win over Ethiopia five days earlier.
Vieira made several changes for his third match as Senegal manager. His first two games had produced a 1-1 draw away to Mozambique and a 1-0 victory in Ethiopia in the CAN 2027 qualifiers.
Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr had been suspended by the CAF following incidents during the final of the CAN 2025 and were therefore unavailable for those opening two qualifying matches. The friendly against Comoros gave both players the chance to make their first appearances under Vieira, although Ndiaye started while Ismaila Sarr ultimately withdrew from the squad.
Moussa Niakhate was also absent after leaving the Senegal camp because of an injury. The Olympique Lyonnais defender, who had started and captained the team in both previous matches, returned to his club to continue his treatment.
Vieira used the fixture to assess his tactical options after switching between a back four and a three-man central defence in his opening matches. The Senegal manager had been expected to use the game to develop the team’s style and identity.
Senegal controlled possession for long periods as the match progressed and pushed for a second goal. A powerful free-kick from Pape Gueye, the Villarreal midfielder, was repelled by Comoros goalkeeper Anzimati before the defence cleared the danger.
Anzimati also denied the Stade Rennais forward after he had been played in by Ndiaye. The striker was unable to convert the rebound after initially being stopped, missing another opportunity to extend Senegal’s lead.
Pape Gueye later set up Boulaye Dia, whose effort was on target but comfortably held by Anzimati. Another chance went begging when a Manchester City player failed to make proper contact with a rebound in front of goal, while Mory Diaw was required to make a two-handed save at the other end.
Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye were eventually replaced by Malang Sarr and Pape Moussa Fall as Senegal managed the closing stages. The captain also offered Vieira evidence that he still had plenty to contribute.
Comoros, who have strong support from their community in Marseille, entered the match after a 3-1 defeat by Cameroon and a 1-0 win against Namibia in the CAN 2027 qualifiers.