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Team: Senegal
History
Though the team doesn’t have an especially glittering history, most casual fans of football likely know of the Senegalese National Team for their exploits during 2002. After finishing runner-up in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, the “Lions of Teranga” were also heading into their first ever World Cup, set to face the reigning champions, France. Most onlookers assumed Senegal would simply be happy to have qualified, but instead they shocked the world by winning 1-0. Riding the high of this incredible result, Senegal went on to earn draws against both Denmark and Uruguay to reach the last 16 where they beat a Sweden team with a young Zlatan Ibrahimović on a Golden Goal to reach the quarterfinals. The team received plaudits for their performance that summer, with stars El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao earning big-money moves to English giants Liverpool. Unfortunately, Senegal failed to capitalize on this success, failing to qualify for another World Cup until this year’s tournament and only finishing as high as fourth at a Cup of Nations. The current Senegalese outfit is an exciting one, that uses blistering pace on the wings, and a physically dominant midfield to control games from the inside out. Employing talented players at nearly every part of the pitch, one potential weakness for this side is in net, where there is a lack of experience at the top level.[i]
Key Players
The Senegalese national team has seen a bit of a “Golden Generation” come through its ranks in recent years. From Everton’s Idrissa Gueye, to Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, to the team’s captain, West Ham’s Cheikhou Kouyaté, the Senegalese National Team is littered with players who ply their trade in Europe’s top leagues.[ii]The team obviously has plenty of players who are capable of holding their own on the world’s stage, however one stands tall above the rest as a truly world-class talent: Liverpool’s Sadio Mané. Mané began his career in European football hopping from FC Metz to Red Bull Salzburg to Southampton FC before finding his home as part of one of the most fearsome front threes in the world at Liverpool. Mané’s greatest strengths are his speed, which he uses to torment back line’s as part of Liverpool’s high pressing system, and his finishing ability which has helped him score 17 goals across all competitions this past season.[iii]If Senegal is to advance from their group, they will need Mané to put on match-winning performances similar to the one he put on against South Africa in November, which qualified the team for Russia.
A lesser-known name that could also prove decisive for the “Lions of Teranga” is Keita Baldé Diao. Born in Spain, Keita came up through the ranks of Barcelona’s youth academy, becoming one of the club’s most promising prospects before a prank by Diao and subsequent punishment estranged the relationship. Thus, he moved to S.S. Lazio in the Italian capital, where he earned 110 league appearances at the age of 22. Off-field antics again hurt his relationship with his club at Lazio, with Keita forcing a move to AS Monaco prior to this season. Known for his exceptional dribbling ability and athleticism, Keita is the type of player who can provide the moment of offensive brilliance that sparks a team to victory.[iv]With the ball skills to embarrass defenders on the pitch, and the bad-boy attitude off it, the 23 year old could be a truly enthralling figure in Russia.
Path to Qualification
Senegal’s path to qualification was not without drama. Drawn with South Africa, Cape Verde, and a tricky Burkina Faso side, Senegal faced a tough, yet manageable group. A win in the first game against Cape Verde got the team off to a strong start, but they followed this up with an extremely controversial loss to South Africa and consecutive draws against Burkina Faso. Since only the first place team in the group earns qualification to the World Cup, the outlook was suddenly bleak for a team with so much promise. Hope came for Senegal though, when FIFA annulled the result of the South Africa game and ordered a replay a full year after the original game. FIFA upheld a ruling from CAF that the referee of the match be banned for life for manipulating the outcome of the match when he awarded South Africa a penalty for a non-existent penalty. Senegal was given a second-chance to assert their dominance of the group, and they did so convincingly, beating South Africa 2-0 to seal qualification.[v]
Manager Aliou Cissé
Aliou Cissé is a true legend of Senegalese soccer. Playing as a Center Defensive Mid, Cissé captained the famed 2002 Senegalese World Cup team that reached the quarterfinals, defeating World Champion France in the process. Cissé also found success at the club level, spending over a decade in the top divisions of France and England. A hard tackling player, Cissé was criticized during his playing career for lacking the discipline to make it for one of the world’s best squads. Retiring in 2009, Cissé didn’t begin managing until 2012 when he began as an assistant with Senegal’s U-23 team. He was promoted to manager in 2013 and after successfully managing the youngsters for a few years, took over for the senior squad in 2015. With imports from Europe tending to dominate the managerial ranks of Africa’s national teams, Cissé is one of a few African managers to be given a shot to lead his country. Cissé doesn’t seem to take this opportunity lightly, as his managerial staff includes mostly his former teammates on the 2002 Senegalese team.[vi]With the invaluable experience of 2002 at his disposal, Cissé will be hoping to galvanize this iteration of the Senegalese squad to a similarly shocking run.
Fandom
Senegalese Supporters Win Awards for Fair Play
Best moment from qualifying
Senegal vs. South Africa (2-0)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4uLo8zJPYw
Can they make it?
After drawing favorable matchups in Poland, Colombia, and Japan, Senegal should be relatively confident in their chances of making a splash and advancing. Though both Poland and Colombia retain some of the very best in the world in Robert Lewandowski and James Rodriguez, respectively, the rest of their squads are not comprehensively filled with the talent to intimidate a Senegal side with stars of its own. There’s an outside shot that Senegal can win the group if they can restrict the individual brilliance of Lewandowski and Rodriguez, but a more likely outcome is a second-place finish. The odds are stacked against them, but it would be ignorant to count out a team this talented.
Interesting fact
Striker Moussa Sow scored so many bicycle kick goals for his former club team, Fenerbahçe, that they began selling jerseys with his name and number written upside down.[vii]
[i]“Senegal – Club’s Profile.” Transfermarkt, www.transfermarkt.com/senegal/startseite/verein/3499.
[iii]“Sadio Mané – Player Profile 17/18.” Transfermarkt, www.transfermarkt.com/sadio-mane/profil/spieler/200512.
[iv]“Keita Baldé – Player Profile 17/18.” Transfermarkt, www.transfermarkt.com/keita-balde/profil/spieler/238752.
[v]Kwesé. “Senegal Seal Place at World Cup Finals with Victory over South Africa.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 10 Nov. 2017, www.espn.com/soccer/report?gameId=464089.
[vi]Ames, Nick. “Senegal’s Impressive Aliou Cisse Is Paving the Way for African Coaches.” Eurosport, Eurosport, 20 Jan. 2017, www.eurosport.com/football/african-cup-of-nations/2017/senegal-s-impressive-aliou-cisse-is-paving-the-way-for-african-coaches_sto6024563/story.shtml.
[vii]Wright, Chris. “Fenerbahce Sell Upside-down Moussa Sow Shirts after Overhead Kicks.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 29 Nov. 2016, www.espn.com/soccer/blog/the-toe-poke/65/post/3007287/fenerbahce-selling-upside-down-moussa-sow-shirts-after-overhead-kicks.
Written by David Duquette
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