This year, Senegal will participate in the World Cup only for the second time in history. But in 2002, when The Lions of Teranga did it for the first time, they caused a big sensation.


African Cinderella

Sixteen years ago, they had to play the opening match of the whole tournament against France, who were the reigning world and European champions at the time. Few people believed in Senegal’s success, yet the team produced a sensation by winning 1:0. The result was especially remarkable because Senegal is a former French colony, most of their footballers played for French clubs, and the national team was coached by the Frenchman Bruno Metsu.

The African Cinderella’s fairy tail continued, as the Lions of Teranga progressed from the group and went on to beat Sweden in the quarter-final, becoming the second ever African side after Cameroon to reach that stage at a World Cup. And they could have gone even further, but lost to Turkey in the extra time in the round of eight.

Senegal conquered many hearts all over the world with their genuine and creative game, and their leaders El-Hadji Diouf, Khalilou Fadiga, Papa Bouba Diop became respected figures in the world of football and got lucrative offers from solid clubs.


Revival under Cisse

However, the national team were unable to stay on that level for a long time. Following some disagreement with the country’s football officials, Bruno Metsu resigned soon after the memorable tournament in 2002 and never came back to coach in Africa before his death in 2013. Diouf, Fadiga and other Senegalese stars retired, and the period of transition was not easy as the team failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups. But three years ago, things started to change for the better with the appointment of Aliou Cisse as a head coach.

The former midfielder, who captained Senegal at the 2002 World Cup, is a well-respected figure in the country, and he is widely seen as the driving force behind the team’s comeback in recent years. The Lions of Teranga enjoyed a successful qualifying campaign, comfortably topping the competitive Group D ahead of Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and South Africa. They managed to stay unbeaten, claiming four wins and splitting the points twice with Burkina Faso.

There was, however, a controversy regarding their home match with South Africa. The visitors were awarded a penalty for handball which ultimately helped them to win the game. Yet FIFA interfered, proving that there had been no handball and suspending the referee Joseph Lamptey for life. So the match was replayed, and Kara Mbodji’s winner late in the game secured Senegal’s berth at the World Cup finals.


Strength in attack

Now the team would like to emulate their success of 2002, which does not seem totally impossible. After all, their group in Russia, also containing Poland, Colombia and Japan will not be the toughest, and even if Senegal are not seen as favourites, they certainly have a chance to advance to the Round of 16. And then, with some help of Lady Luck, the Lions of Teranga can go even further…

However, luck has to be deserved. It is hard to compare the current Senegal squad with that of 2002, but there are a few high-quality footballers in the team now. The man to watch is certainly the Liverpool’s striker Sadio Mane, who is renowned for his speed, power and ability to score goals. The defender Kara Mbodji from Anderlecht, the captain and midfielder Cheykhou Kouyate from West Ham and the experienced forward Moussa Sow from Bursaspor are also worth mentioning, as well as another striker Diafra Sakho, who plays his club football at Rennes.

All in all, Senegal will be underdogs in Russia, but their squad is rather competitive, particularly in offence - no wonder they scored two goals in each qualifier except one game. In case the coaching staff manage to get the defensive stability, the Lions of Teranga can surprise the world once again - like they did in 2002.