Senegal saves Africa from day of wrath
MOSCOW – By starting its World Cup with a win, Senegal also saved Africa from embarrassment in the tournament.
The continent was facing the prospect of a worst-ever World Cup start before Senegal beat Poland on Tuesday. The 2-1 victory was the first and only African win in the first round of matches, after Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia all lost their opening games. A few hours after Senegal’s win, Egypt then also lost its second match, 3-1 against Russia.
As in 2002, when Senegal beat thendefending champions France in its opening match, it now hopes to build on the momentum. But coach Aliou Cisse said beating the Poles didn’t have the same history-making feel of the 1-0 victory in 2002 against the French, Senegal’s former colonial masters. From there, in what was its first and until now only World Cup, Senegal went on a run to the quarterfinals.
“It is not the same thing, not the same flavor,” Cisse said. “Everyone knows the history of France and of Senegal. France was the colonizing power of Senegal. We were the immigrant sons of that France.”
Not since 1974 – when Zaire, its only representative, lost all three of its matches, conceded 14 goals and scored none – had Africa been without at least a win or a draw in the first matches. Since the World Cup expanded to a 32-team format in 1998, the worst opening round for African teams was in 2006, when Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Angola all lost their first matches.