Iliman Ndiaye in action for Senegal at Bank of America stadium
Credit: Manh Tung/Breaking Media
Scott Mason
Mon 1 June 2026 8:10, UK
Everton winger Iliman Ndiaye was in action for Senegal against the USA as preparations for the World Cup get underway.
National teams are beginning to warm up for this summer’s festival of football with friendlies organised to get momentum going.
For Everton’s Ndiaye, that meant a fixture against host nation the USA, but things did perhaps not go as planned for the 26-year-old.
The African nation fell to defeat in a 3-2 loss. with Ndiaye struggling to imprint himself onto the game.
It was not the most ideal start ahead of the World Cup, with Ndiaye’s performance for Senegal proving poor based on the stats.
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How Iliman Ndiaye performed against the USA
As an attacking player, one thing you will want is to get on the ball in the dangerous areas and be able to cause issues for the opposition defence.
However, according to the Everton ace’s heatmap, he got on the ball inside his own half more often than not.
USA Statistics Senegal
3 Goals 2
47% Possession 53%
2.27 xG 2.23
5 Big chances 3
With USA star player Christian Pulisic on his wing, the 26-year-old had to defend more than he likely would have wanted.
Although he did win all three of his attempted tackles, he struggled in his individual duels. He won just five of 12 duels – a 41 per cent completion rate.
Furthermore, Ndiaye was dribbled past on two occasions and lost possession 11 times with just 36 touches.
Despite being limited to being within his own half for a majority of the game, Ndiaye did manage to forge out one big chance created and a shot on target, but it was not enough to make his overall poor display any better.
It is no surprise the winger ended up with just a 6.3 match rating according to data hub Sofascore. With Ismaila Sarr still to join up with the squad, Ndiaye could fear for his spot on the right wing.
Ndiaye's Senegal Caps
Credit: Breaking Media
Why did Idrissa Gueye not feature for Senegal?
The future of Idrissa Gueye at Everton is still up in the air, with no word as to whether his contract will be extended.
The Toffees did have an automatic trigger for a one-year extension if Gueye played a certain number of games, but that threshold was never hit.
Everton must enter negotiations with the midfielder to renew. Of course that is likely to take place after the World Cup.
Idrissa Gana Gueye contract expiry
Credit: Breaking Media
While Gueye was called up, he was not in the squad to face the USA. This was due to an injury that kept him out of Everton’s final four games.
Nonetheless, Gueye has returned to training on grass, and he will be hoping for some minutes in the next friendly against Saudi Arabia.
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