Senegal heads to Qatar as the continent’s best chance of success and given the quality of players and coaching they have, it’s easy to see why. With Algeria, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire & Nigeria all absent, some of Africa’s best players won’t be at the World Cup and the hopes of the continent would be on the team who just won the African Cup of Nations and captained by Sadio Mané, the best player on the continent. We take a look at their history, how they got to this point and what they’ve learned from their past as they prepare for this tournament.
History In The World Cup
It’s been 20 years since Senegal stunned the football world in the opening game of the Korea/Japan World Cup. Drawn alongside defending Champions France, Denmark, and Uruguay, there were little to no expectations from Senegal especially when you consider they were making their World Cup debut. But, that was a mistake two of their group mates would regret.
Earlier in the year, Senegal had put on an impressive display at the African Nations Cup hosted in Mali. Built on their exceptional defense, the Lions of Teranga conceded just 1 goal all tournament – in a 2-1 win over Nigeria in the semi-final – and came within 2 penalties of becoming African Champions as they finished runners up. It was a tough moment for this exciting group of players but it was clear that their Head Coach, the late Bruno Metsu, was building a team about to achieve something special.
Heading into their opening game of the World Cup against France, the Senegalese team was dismissed by the media. 21 of the 23 players in the Senegal squad played their club football in France and the French media felt they knew enough about them to guarantee they wouldn’t be much of a problem to Les Bleus. France’s best player, Zinedine Zidane was injured coming into the tournament, but the French National Team boasted 3 different League Golden Boot winners which they felt were more than enough to manage the situation until Zidane was fully fit. David Trezeguet was the Serie A Golden Boot winner with Juventus, Auxerre’s Djibril Cissé was the joint top scorer in Ligue 1 and, of course, Thierry Henry was the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner with Arsenal. So, you can imagine the horror on the faces of everyone in France when the final whistle blew and Senegal claimed all 3pts, thanks to a 1-0 win courtesy of a goal from Papa Bouba Diop.
They went on to draw their other 2 games in Group A to Denmark & Uruguay as they finished 2nd in the group behind Denmark and 4 pts ahead of France who could only manage 1 pt. Afterward, they defeated Sweden in the Round of 16 (aet) before getting eliminated by Turkey in the Quater-Final. It was the farthest an African country had gone in the World Cup matching the achievement of Cameroon in 1990.
Sadly & surprisingly, Senegal never built on this World Cup performance. They went 16 years without another World Cup appearance and only returned in 2018 where they ended up with the same points, goals scored & goals conceded as 2nd place Japan but finished in 3rd place due to Japan having more Fair Play Points – they collected two fewer yellow cards than Senegal which was enough to see them through.
Triumph In The 2021 AFCON
After heartbreaks in multiple AFCON tournaments, Senegal finally triumphed in 2022 as they beat Egypt on penalties in Yaoundé. Under Aliou Cissé – who was a part of those Senegal sides of the 2000s – the team had reached the final of the 2019 edition of the AFCON, but they lost to Algeria, a team they had lost to in the Group Stage. This time around, they were focused on getting the job done.
They started slow and found it difficult to score but it was clear that Aliou Cissé was building this team just like Bruno Metsu had done 20 years earlier. Despite having Sadio Mané, one of the world’s leading attackers, the team was built around its defense, and this produced instant results. They kept 5 clean sheets in 7 games including the finals where they faced Egypt and Mo Salah. The game was tight, as expected, and went all the way to extra time and penalties with Senegal winning the shootout 4-2. Sadio Mané would end up being named the Player of the Tournament while Édouard Mendy received the award for the Best Goalkeeper.
A less celebrated but important award they picked up at the 2021 AFCON was the Fair Play Award. While often overlooked by casual fans, it was what cost them a place in the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup, and getting this award proved that they could not only be champions but perform at the highest level in a fair way.
World Cup Qualification
The World Cup Qualifiers for Africa came with its own challenges. To get to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sadio Mané and his teammates had to battle a familiar opponent, Mo Salah and Egypt. Having already beaten them in the final of the AFCON earlier in the year, there were talks about a revenge game for the Egyptians and the game was as tough as expected. The tie was locked at 1-1 after 2 legs as both teams headed to yet another penalty shootout. Mo Salah – who didn’t get the opportunity to take a penalty in the AFCON final as Senegal had already sealed a win before it got his turn – had the chance to correct his mistake this time around. But, to everyone’s surprise, the Liverpool forward blasted the ball over the bar while Sadio Mané calmly converted to send his country through to Qatar as the shootout ended 3-1.
The Senegalese fans in the stands could clearly be seen aiming lasers at Mo Salah as he took his penalty, and their FA was duly fined £143,000 by FIFA. A small price, some would say, for a spot in the World Cup. Sadio Mané would go on to be named African Player of the Year for the 2nd year in a row leaving Mo Salah empty-handed once more.
Chances At The Qatar World Cup
As the Lions of Teranga head to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there are a lot of similarities that they share with their 2002 heroes. They’re sides that have talented forwards but are built on their defense. This 2022 team is a solid defensive unit and barely gives up more than a goal a game even though most of their opponents over the past 2 years have been fellow African Countries (to who they’re clearly superior), so it’s hard to judge. Also, the 2002 & 2022 teams both had great performances in the AFCON before heading to the World Cup except this 2022 team won the tournament while the 2002 side finished as runners-up. In 2002, El Hadji Diouf was a 2-time African Player of the Year winner heading to the World Cup, and this time, they have Sadio Mané, also a back-to-back African Player of the Year winner, leading the team.
Then there’s Aliou Cissé, the brain behind it all. The Senegal Head Coach has had a 64.5%-win rate since taking the job in 2015 which ranks as one of the best headings into the World Cup.
In an odd way, the best thing about this current Senegal side is the fact that they have failed in the past. They have suffered a lot of heartbreaks and that shaped them into being a better team physically, tactically & mentally. They have been thorough in correcting their mistakes from the past and have left no stone unturned in doing so. Even a tiebreaker as negligible as Fair Play Points which cost them in Russia in 2018 has been addressed.
In a group containing the Netherlands, Ecuador & host nation Qatar, they will be expected to qualify but Aliou Cissé knows they must respect their opponents unlike France did in Korea/Japan 2002. If they play to their potential, they could go as far as the semi-final. A lot would have to fall in place for that to happen and if there’s one team ready for any obstacle the football gods have to throw, it’s the Lions of Teranga.
- Bet on Senegal to get to the Quarterfinals @5.00
- Bet on Senegal to qualify from Group A alongside Netherlands @1.90
- Bet on Senegal to reach the semi-finals @11.00
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