FT World Cup 2018: Live From Russia - Senegal carry the weight of a continent
FirstTouch is in Russia for the World Cup 2018. We will be attending multiple games and celebrating the world’s game with fans from all across the world! Enjoy our blogs that document some of our experiences.
Coming off of Mexico’s historical upset against Germany on Sunday, me and the fam were definitely riding a high. Even though we just witnessed what would be still one of the best games of the tournament so far, we were eagerly anticipating the Senegal match against Poland. It would be our 4th game on our schedule but our first that included an African team.
It was subtly covered in the news leading up to the match, but Senegal were carrying the hopes and dreams of the entirety of Africa, after each of the 4 nations representing the continent lost in dramatic fashion in their opening games. To add to the hype, The Lions of Teranga actually looked the part as they fielded a talented, yet balanced squad, to take on Poland. Myself, along with everyone else in Spartak Stadium looked forward to watching Sadio Mane take on Dortmund right back Lukasz Piszczek, but the matchup I most looked forward to would be on the other end of the field. Unstoppable force Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich’s star striker and arguably the best striker in the world for a few years now, would be battling against immovable object Senegalese and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly. I sipped my beer as I watched the Polish players warm up behind the goal.
From the very start of the first half, Senegal imposed their will, control, and tempo on the game. Everton midfield general Idrissa Gueye bossed the game for Senegal early on, as his Kante-like pressuring ensured that Senegal were able to regain possession pretty quickly whenever they lost the ball. He would then either spread it wide right to Wagué or Sarr, or find Mane and Niang directly, helping circulate their build-up play higher up the pitch. After a few good chances, Senegal broke the deadlock through a Mane inspired own goal in the 37th minute and went into the half with a 1-0 lead. Needless to say, we were pretty thrilled about it.
Senegal came out in the 2nd half exactly as they left the 1st, full of confidence and in control. Gueye and N’Diaye continued to do an excellent job blocking off passing lanes to Lewandowski and dropping back so that when he did receive the ball, he had multiple bodies to deal with. In the 60th minute, Senegal extended their lead, this time through Niang, their most dangerous attacker through this portion of the match. While their first goal was celebrated with pure jubilation, the second was celebrated with a bit more swagger and assurance. Even though Poland were able to sneak a goal back in an inevitable 2-1 defeat, Senegal had lived up to the expectation, something rare in footballing these days.
Even though Senegal would go on to not qualify for the Round of 16 through the first ever enforcement of the FIFA Fair Play Tiebreaker, they perhaps finished as the one African nation who not only gave African fans a true sense of pride and belonging amongst the growing level of competition at this level, but also gained the respect of the world during the process. For me it was special to watch all of the neighbouring fans at the World Cup fall in love with the Senegalese and the joy of their team. The future looks to be bright for them and I look forward to hopefully seeing them again at AFCON 2019.