FT Hidden Gem Series: On the rise, Senegal's Ismaila Sarr

“Sarr’s fast. He’s Mane fast. It must be a Senegalese thing. ”

— Tinotenda Magiya, FirstTouch Africa

Remember the world cup star boy? The name that people were looking forward to behold when Senegal played ought to be the Liverpool forward, Sadio Mane, but the African team had much more to offer in terms of depth with the young winger, Ismaila Sarr, stealing the show. The young forward was a surprise starter in the team ahead of the highly rated Keita Balde Diao and he never disappointed. His work-rate on the right flank warranted him a special mention in FirstTouch’s Hidden Gem Series. In this one, we catch up with what the player has been up to as well as making mention of the things that you might not have known about the player before his bow at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

UEFA Europa League Stunner

Metz' Senegalese midfielder Ismaila Sarr (R) vies for the ball with Caen's French midfielder Julien Feret during the French L1 football match between Metz (FCM) and Caen (SMC) on April 15, 2017 at Saint Symphorien stadium in Longeville-Les-Metz, eastern France. . / AFP PHOTO / Jean Christophe VERHAEGEN

(April 14, 2017 - Source: AFP)

On Thursday, 20th of September, Ismaila star made the headlines for scoring a stunner in a UEFA Europa League match between his club, Stade Rennais and FK Jablonec. He received the ball on the left wing before playing a one two with a player in front of the arch before rifling in a short from 25 yards out which landed in the top right corner. There was only so much the keeper could do to stop Sarr’s opener. His club went on to win the match 2-1 thanks to another goal scored by Hartem Ben Arfa, another French player with African roots.

His start to the 2018/19 season

Sarr’s star has not been shy of goals having already scored 2 in the French Ligue 1 in just four starts. That’s an average of a goal in every 180 minutes. That is not actually a bad return for a 20-year old player still trying to find his feet at a new club which he moved to a little over a year ago. The Senegalese international is set to take Europe by storm having seen how other young players like Kylian Mbappe have developed their skills in the same league and have gone on to join Paris Saint Germain in a record breaking deal for a teenager. This should serve as enough motivation to up his game and impress Europe’s bigger sisters who can take his game to the next level. The player, however, looks happy and settled in Sabri Lamouchi’s team which is a positive for the club if they are to bring the best out of the African. The UEFA Europa League fixtures for Stade Rennais will be a priceless opportunity to see the young talent as he fares against some better opponents from across Europe. Fingers crossed that he won’t get any bad injuries which tend to slow most players’ progress.

Sarr’s Roots

Ismaila Sarr of Senegal and Juan Quintero of Colombia in action during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group H match between Senegal and Colombia at Samara Arena on June 28, 2018 in Samara, Russia.

(June 27, 2018 - Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Europe)

You must be curious to find out how these amazing talents are identified, developed, and scouted to play for such teams. Ismaila Sarr was born in Saint-Louis, Senegal. He started his career at Generation Foot, a Senegalese football club in 2009. The player then signed for FC Metz, a French team in Ligue 2 on 13 July 2016. The skills he possessed in his locker could not allow him to respect his 5-year contract with the club as Stade Rennais came calling for his services just a year later. He has been with the club ever since.

What you need to know about him?

1. Sarr’s fast. He’s Mane fast. It must be a Senegalese thing.

2. The youngster is hard working. He has the energy to drop back and help out the defenders when out of possession.

3. He’s unorthodox. Sarr is unpredictable sometimes when in possession but that does not take away his quality contribution to the team.

4. He’s young which means there is a lot more to come from him.

FirstTouch sheds the light on the African players that seem to be under the radar. Sarr’s the latest. Follow him in his career as he plays for Stade Rennais and the Senegalese national team.

Is Eredivisie's Top Footballer, Hakim Ziyech, the best African playmaker?

“Ziyech is a piece of jewellery for Dutch football.”

— Erik ten Hag, Ajax FC Manager

Most of the decorated African footballers over the years are “incidentally” forwards. I mean, it’s fair to recognise the fact that it’s easy to notice goal scorers because after all, football is about scoring goals. Think about, the legendary George Weah (the only African to have won the FIFA Ballon d’Or), Cameroon’s Roger Milla, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and even now, arguably the most celebrated names in Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are both forwards. Playmakers like Austin Jay Jay Okocha, “who was so good that they had to name him twice” are a rare find and one, Hakim Ziyech definitely falls in this category. Whether he is good enough to be mentioned amongst the above past and current legends is a debate on its own, but let’s talk about what the 2017 Netherlands Footballer of the Year offers.

Hakim Ziyech of Ajax in action during the UEFA Champions League Play-off 1st leg match between Ajax and Dynamo Kiev held at Johan Cruyff Arena on August 22, 2018 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

(Aug. 21, 2018 - Source: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images Europe)

Playmaker definition fits Hakim

The above word is nothing perhaps just a clever term to describe an attacking midfielder that literally controls the midfield by beginning attacks, creating chances for the strikers and at times finishing the attacks as well. Playmakers are famously the rightful bearers of the coveted “number 10” shirt. At a high level, a striker’s job is putting the ball into the back of the net, we actually do not care how he/she does it. We ask of a defender to block the ball from entering into their own net, the same with the goalkeeper and we seldom do not care how they do it. But for playmakers, even in basketball just as in soccer- their first job is to be creative above anything else.

Hakim, whose arabic name means judge or ruler is definitely living up to his name-giver’s expectation by creatively exercising authority on the pitch. The Ajax playmaker’s body frame and demeanor fits that we have grown to associate with other household playmakers. His seemingly “lanky” structure is like that of Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, Manchester United’s Juan Mata of course Lionel Messi who frequently adopts a similar role for his teams. Hakim is also left footed like these three with an eagle’s vision, able to pick out a pass anywhere on the pitch and possesses unusual dribbling abilities. The 25-year-old Moroccan international born and raised in the Netherlands happens to be a free-kick specialist as well and a regular goal scorer, something now expected of players like him.

Numbers don’t usually lie

Ziyech’s recent accolade awarded to him by the newspaper De Telegraaf in partnership with the Dutch Football Federation comes as no surprise after Ziyech’s consistent performances over the years. Since the 2014/15 Eredivisie season, top flight league in the Netherlands, no footballer has weighed up more assists than the Moroccan international with 16, 10, 17 and 15 assists respectively for all the four seasons up to the most recent one. Just to give a sense of scale, Hakim served up more assists than Mesut Ozil for their clubs in the same period with the former recording 57 while the latter with 49. A true hallmark of a playmaker. He also scored a total of 37 goals in the same period for FC Twente and his current team, Ajax Amsterdam. Hakim was awarded the Mars d’Or(Best Moroccan Player) in 2016 to honor his contributions to the country and the Ajax fans voted him Player of the Year in the 2017/18 campaign. He stills has a lot give Morocco with 9 goals in 21 appearances for his country since his debut in 2015.

Dani Carvajal of Spain crosses the ball under pressure from Hakim Ziyach of Morocco during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group B match between Spain and Morocco at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 25, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia.

(June 24, 2018 - Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe) 

Perceived weakness

One standout, lesser strength for the playmaker is one that usually accompany most playmakers. His boyish structure means he is relatively less physical than most players and one who can easily be shoved off the ball. But it’s not always the case, his close control and hand-like left foot usually allows him to shield off the ball from any pursuing markers and is able to win fouls for his team quite frequently.

What other people have said about “The Ruler”

Ajax manager, Erik ten Hag described Ziyech as a rare piece of treasure.

Dutch and Manchester United legend, Edwin Van Der Sar was delighted to be able to keep the Moroccan for one more year after the 25-year-old had been linked with move away to AS Roma in Italy and deems him as fundamental ingredient in Ajax’s efforts to conquer Europe.

“We said we want to play in the Champions League with the strongest possible team. We may not have counted one hundred percent on Hakim, but we are very happy that we have come together and that he is here for another year at Ajax.”

— Edwin van der Sar, Managing Director of Ajax FC

Final note

At just 25, Hakim is definitely in his prime years as a footballer and a move away from Ajax to a bigger club in Europe or elsewhere can’t be out of question given how difficult it is to find players with his abilities. Checkout what Ziyech is all about in the video below.

Do the FIFA POTY Nominees hint at a new era?

The national team captains, coaches, fans and selected journalists casted their votes and they have been tallied. After a decade of dominance by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with each claiming five individual honors for the world’s best football player, we are witnessing some new trends across most of the categories. Indeed, I cannot deny the Messi and Ronaldo are among the unique breed of footballers that this world will ever know but it was becoming a little too boring. Here are top three new features of the “new age” I am most excited about.

Timely reminder that football ingenuity can’t be reduced to a simple goal statistic

Mohamed Salah of Egypt celebrates with teammate Marwan Mohsen after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Saudia Arabia and Egypt at Volgograd Arena on June 25, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia.

(June 24, 2018 - Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

One of the reasons why Ronaldo and Messi had not left the podium since 2008 is that they are goal scoring machines and they are surrounded by other great players in the biggest of clubs which almost always win trophies. For almost all the years these two won the FIFA Ballon d’Or Award now known as FIFA Best Award, it was given to the one whose club had claimed the UEFA Champions League trophy or scored the most goals.The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta, Antoine Griezmann, Xavi, Manuel Neuer and Franck Ribery were well in their right victims of the Ronaldo-Messi era. Great football talents who happen to have been born at the wrong time as many people would say.

The good news for the first time, we see a player like Luka Modric making the top three list, a complete midfielder who is hardly on the scoresheet but almost inspired his country Croatia, to their first ever FIFA World Cup triumph, losing to France in the 2018 final in Russia. The 32-year-old  did win the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid in May, bagged the Golden Ball for the best player at the 2018 World Cup finals but quite remarkably and unusually pipped Ronaldo to the 2018 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award. A sign that the Ronaldo and Messi era could very soon be behind us.

Egyptian king, Mohamed Salah deservedly made it to this year’s top three with Ronaldo completing that list and Messi missing out. Salah broke the scoring records in England, banging in 32 goals in a 38 match season and helped Liverpool reach the Champions League final. He also won all the individual awards in England but making the list without winning any major team trophy emphasises this change I am trying so hard to describe.

Unfamiliar but familiar faces in goal

Kasper Schmeichel of Denmark reacts during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between 1st Group D and 2nd Group C at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on July 1, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

(June 30, 2018 - Source: Francois Nel/Getty Images Europe)

If I were to ask for the names of the three top goalkeepers in the world, most certainly, the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Manuel Neuer and David De Gea would frequent on most people’s list. They are really goalkeepers of some of the elite and acclaimed football clubs in the world. Quite honestly, they are great and probably deserve the naming. But this year, the voters decided on some talented individuals between the sticks who have not received the deserved praise over the years. Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City in the Premier League and Denmark, Hugo Lloris who captained France to the 2018 World Cup title and Thibaut Courtois, the best goalkeeper in Russia 2018 make up the three men shortlist. Does this signal an element of enhanced objectivity in choosing players for these awards, without necessarily looking at the crest of their clubs or their national colors?

We just love that Senegalese fans are nominated for one of the awards

You cannot really blame us for singling out exceptional contributors to the game from the beloved continent of Africa. That’s what FirstTouch Africa aims to bring the global stage anyway, telling the untold stories of invaluable significance, steering communities forward.

Senegal fans enjoy the pre match atmosphere prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group H match between Japan and Senegal at Ekaterinburg Arena on June 24, 2018 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

(June 23, 2018 - Source: Clive Rose/Getty Images Europe)

The Lions of Teranga football fans are part of the nominees for the FIFA Fan Award after their resounding efforts to keep Russia clean at the world cup finals. These guys literally picked up all litter after each and every game they cheered their heroes on, even after the bitterest of games that saw Senegal exit the tournament in the group stages because they had more yellow cards than the second placed Japan in Group H. Even the Japanese fans also headlined Russia for the tidy civility acts and are nominated together with Senegal as a unit.

Below, is a full list for all the nominees.The winners will be announced on 24 September at Royal Festival Hall in London.

 

 

 

 

Men's player

Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus & Portugal

Luka Modric - Real Madrid & Croatia

Mohamed Salah - Liverpool & Egypt

Women's player

Ada Hegerberg - Lyon & Norway

Dzsenifer Marozsan - Lyon & Germany

Marta - Orlando Pride & Brazil

Men's coach

Zlatko Dalic - Croatia

Didier Deschamps - France

Zinedine Zidane - former Real Madrid

Women's coach

Reynald Pedros - Lyon

Asako Takakura - Japan

Sarina Wiegman - Netherlands

Goalkeeper

Thibaut Courtois - Real Madrid & Belgium

Hugo Lloris - Tottenham & France

Kasper Schmeichel - Leicester & Denmark

Puskas Award

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) v Liverpool

Denis Cheryshev (Russia) v Croatia

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (AEK) v Olympiacos

Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Cruzeiro) -v America MG

Riley McGree (Newcastle Jets) v Melbourne City

Lionel Messi (Argentina) v Nigeria

Benjamin Pavard (France) v Argentina

Ricardo Quaresma (Portugal) v Iran

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid ) v Juventus

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) v Everton

Fan Award

Sebastian Carrera (Deportes Puerto Montt, Chile)

Peru fans

Japan and Senegal fans

FT World Cup Recap: Top 5 U23 Players From The World Cup

We all know that football is a collective goal and one man’s loss leads to everyone’s loss. That philosophy, however, should not make us overlook the efforts of the individuals and give the credit where it’s due. Even though the World Cup eventually went to our African brothers in another continent, there are still some U23s that made us proud and here are they below in no particular order.

1. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)

He is just 19 years old, he is a Real Madrid player who is on loan to Borussia Dortmund for two years. That kind of CV is not earned by just anyone, and moreover, he displayed an incredible level of versatility at the World Cup 2018 this summer in Russia. For the FIFA World Cup Group B clash with Iran, he was a right center back in a defense of three. He also performed well as the left back in the following games against Portugal and Spain. This level of versatility is really commendable in a player because it ensures that they are able to grow different skills within the same tournament. He was born in Spain and is the son of Moroccan parents, he roared with the Lions of the Atlas and made them proud.

2.  Peter Etebo (Nigeria)

One thing that most people would most likely remember him for is the “own goal” that he had in the Group D 2018 World Cup match against Croatia. That was not enough to destroy the player’s morale in the tournament. The 22-year old showed that he has the talent to keep moving his career in the right direction. Even though he was known for his abilities as a winger, he strengthened the Nigerian defense line at the tournament which was a sign of flexibility. The player’s speed when charging towards the ball was quite evident in his games. In the Nigerian game against Iceland, he proved that beyond his tenacity in tackling, he is also great at initiating attacks.  He recently signed a 5- year contract with Stoke City where he will take the next step in the development of his career. 

3. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)

Any ordinary 20-year old’s dribbling skills would not match Sarr’s skills. His tenacity on the field was unquestionable during the 2018 FIFA World Cup as he dribbled his way out of his competitor’s traps. His performance made the just the right amount of noise and caught the attention of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool. All teams have been making inquiries with the hope that this youngster will soon grace their squads. The price at which the player is estimated to be purchased for is around 50 Million Pounds. This young player has been dubbed “one of Senegal’s brightest young attacking prospects”.

4. Francis Uzoho (Nigeria)

In the early stages of his career, he was determined to be a center-forward, but his coach saw beyond what Francis thought was his dream at that point. Today, the 19-year-old stands between the goal posts of the Nigerian team. While the other Nigerian goalkeepers could not be at the tournament, he gave a brilliant performance and only conceded 4 goals throughout the tournament. It was quite commendable that at his age, he was able to take up the task of being a first-choice goalkeeper, which is something that has been dubbed as a task for the mature. Thank you, Francis, for teaching us to always be ready to rise to the occasion when the need arises! If there is a memorable experience that we are taking away from this is that fingertip save from Messi’s free kick during the Group D match between Nigeria and Argentina.
 

5. M’Baye Niang (Senegal)

He may have been at fault with his two yellow cards that cost Senegal qualification into the knockout stage, however, he is the reason why the team was tied with Japan in the Group H standings of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. As controversial as his goal might seem to have been, Niang was behind why Senegal was able to get away from Poland with a 2-1 victory. Poland fans were infuriated by the way the referee made a ruling on this goal, but this was a typical demonstration of a beautiful mistake. He had been out of the pitch for a short injury break and the Polish players did not notice it. He swiftly accepted a misplaced Polish back pass and went past the goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny into an empty net. This was indeed the highlight of his appearance at the World Cup. His performance in this match, specifically, also earned him the Man of the Match title.

FT Post World Cup 2018: The Day Morocco Bullied Portugal

A Few Weeks Before This Day

At the end of the 90 minutes, I was kicking myself trying to conceive how Morocco lost that Group B clash against the European champions, Portugal. In fact, I am still questioning myself hoping to get answers on the Lions of the Atlas’ ordeal. I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat throughout the match, cheering on, commentating and at times giving instructions through the television, as if they could actually hear me. That is just some hindsight into the level of passion I felt, which can be hardly described with words. At the end of the day, I was thoroughly entertained but walked away with a sinking feeling which has driven me to reflect in this piece.

Numbers Don’t Lie

Objectively, this is not just a “make Africa look good piece.” I am not a data junkie but let us look at the stats of the match for a second. Morocco had more of the ball with 55% possession, they also had five more shots than Portugal with a total of 15 shots with twice as many on target than their opposition. They had a superior passing accuracy of 76.4% compared to Portugal’s 71.7%, more passes in the attacking third, more key passes, more corners, more dribbles, more recoveries; essentially more of everything in attack. I am sure you are getting the picture now, Morocco actually bullied the 4th ranked team in the world. Hakeem Ziyech literally owned the midfield cutting inside from the left flank, Nordin Amrabat was unstoppable and the defense marshall, captain Mehdi Benatia adopted a second role - heading the ball goalwards at the wake of the countless opportunities, almost like a second striker.

The Significance

This was really huge to me as far as breaking stereotypes is concerned. African teams have been overtime described as “physical” which actually implies that they lack tactical awareness, organization, and are void of the ability to entertain. For the first time in my life, on the biggest stage of them all, I witnessed a European team pushed to the brink and made to defend in numbers, in other words, “park the bus”. Let me be clear, I do not see it in the view of the underappreciated rising to the occasion to prove haters wrong - shouting “I told you so,” but rather, in the light of football is a testament that no particular group of individuals has the inalienable right to mastery and dominance. Everyone can master and dominate, not just in sport but in everything. Allow me to echo the timeless declaration that all men are created equal with the hope that the more we roar it out, the more we move to actualize it.

Every Team Needs A Ronaldo

I am always reminded by my peers that in the end “football is about scoring goals.” Well, I actually concede to that fact but I cannot be robbed of the celebration of broken stereotypes. This gets me to the next point in moving past the “feel good dimension” to that of winning. Arguably the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo actually won that particular match and many others for his country. The recent addition to the Juventus squad delivered a lightning header in the 4th minute from a corner kick, which sealed the points for the European champions. As we celebrate the progression of African football in the context of the Moroccans, I suggest we also aspire not to just do enough but be the best. My hope and prayer are that the small boys and girls in the forgotten and well-known parts of the continent may grind as much as Ronaldo with the belief that they will seize even the smallest of opportunities, become the best players in the world and win battles for their nations.

Morocco finished the 2018 FIFA world cup campaign in Russia, bottom of Group B with a single point after having lost the opening match to Iran courtesy of an injury-time own goal, another loss to Portugal and drew 2-2 with the 2010 World Champions, Spain. The Moroccan matches were some of the most breathtaking matches of my 2018 World Cup experience.

Continue roaring, Lions of the Atlas! 

FT World Cup 2018: Morocco could not find a solution against Portugal

The World Cup hunt is as good as finished for the Lions of the Atlas. Morocco was knocked out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia on Wednesday after falling short against the European champions’ who showed experience and resolve. Portugal only needed an early single goal to bag all three of the points on offer in this Group B clash.

The odds were always against the North Africans heading into this tournament who were drawn into Group B against the global football powerhouses in the form of Spain and Portugal, and also sharing a group with the Asian masters, Iran. This group earmarked the “group of death” by most analysts has provided some of the most entertaining games of the tournament. Most fans would have expected Morocco to have a stronger showing in terms of results than they have had thus far, especially after having an impressive qualifying campaign where they conceded zero goals and had the support of an experienced coach in Herve Renard. They may not have quite met expectations but maybe it is more attributed to having failed to find the back of the net in their first two fixtures. They dominated the match against Iran, creating a couple of chances but unfortunately gifted all three points to the opposition after conceding an own goal in the 90th minute. Against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, the Real Madrid forward proved the difference early on. Ronaldo pounced on Joao Moutinho’s cross in the 4th minute and drove the ball into the net with a fierce header. Starting the match on the backfoot, the Moroccans had to dig really deep to save their World Cup dream and they left it all on the pitch. Hakim Ziyech was pulling strings in the midfield and Nordin Amrabat gave the Portuguese defense all sorts of problems with his pace, trickery and superhuman strength. Portugal seemed to be the underdogs throughout the entire match, sitting deep and letting Morocco play the beautiful game with a fluid and attractive style we all love.

One positive to take back to Rabat would be the fact that they have shown that an African team can outplay the best. Investment in scouting more clinical finishers for the Lions of the Atlas should be a priority in their continued efforts in building a formidable Moroccan side. It is not really all over yet, with their final match coming against Spain on the 25th June, they can still have a say on who progresses from the group with Portugal, Spain, and Iran sitting on four, four, and three points respectively. A shock-win over the 2010 World Cup Champions, Spain would not be such a bad farewell gift for Moroccan fans.

FT World Cup 2018: Africa Has Arrived - Senegal

In the history of the FIFA World Cup, no African team has ever reached the semi-finals. Ghana was agonizingly close in South Africa 2010 but crashed out after Luis Suarez’s heroics in goal, in place for a goalkeeper who was still in the game. Senegal’s Lions of Teranga had a great run in the 2002 finals before losing to Turkey, 1-0 after extra time. Can this year be a historical one for Africa?

What about the Senegalese in Group H? Will they repeat the heroics of 2002 under the mentorship of Aliou Cisse who was actually part of the South Korea and Japan 2002 squad or maybe even go further? My answer is yes, a very big YES! The Lions of Teranga do not play the most fluid of football but can be a neatly organized defensive unit comprising of the English Premier League’s second-best tackler, Idrissa Gueye and the mountain man, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly leading the defense. They are also blessed with clinical attackers in the form of Diafra Sakho, Monaco’s Keita Balde and the X-factor, Sadio Mane. Most soccer fans witnessed what he did in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid. The Liverpool forward took the game in his hands after Mohamed Salah was forced out with an unfortunate early injury, and he scored a beautiful goal that gave the Reds some short-lived hope of lifting the trophy and consistently caused Sergio Ramos and his defense all sorts of problems until the 90th minute.

I am confident that Sadio Mane will step up as he always does and inspire Senegal to a win over lowly ranked Japan, an inexperienced Poland and maybe just fall short to unpredictable Colombia. It may be a bit of a gamble to endorse Senegal's chances so strongly, but i have a feeling that they will be a strong representative for the African continent. Sadio Mane is perhaps enough of an inspiring player that has provided the quality and lends evidence to consider Senegal doing the unexpected. It is a group centered around three star players in particular; Liverpool’s Sadio Mane vs Bayern Munich’s James Rodriguez vs Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.. No offense to Japan.

Here are my predictions for Group H final standings:

Senegal (1st); Colombia (2nd); Poland (3rd); Japan (4th)

What are your predictions? Let us know in the comment box below.

FT World Cup 2018: Africa Has Arrived - Morocco

In the history of the FIFA World Cup, no African team has ever reached the semi-finals. Ghana was agonizingly close in South Africa 2010 but crashed out after Luis Suarez’s heroics in goal, in place for a goalkeeper who was still in the game. Senegal’s Lions of Teranga had a great run in the 2002 finals before losing to Turkey, 1-0 after extra time. Can this year be a historical one for Africa?

Let us briefly explore the possibility of Morocco delivering the goods for the continent. The Lions of Atlas had an impressive FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign where they finished top of the group occupied by Ivory Coast who hadn’t missed a world cup tournament since 2006, Mali and Gabon. Most remarkably, they scored a total of 11 goals and conceded zero. Not a lot has actually been said about their incredible stats and performances, probably because Nigeria has stolen attention in the headlines with their Nike jerseys and apparel. It is also true that assessing their chances is not a very pleasant exercise as it is really like handing a B to a great and hardworking student just because only 2 As are up for grabs in Group A and ostensibly they belong to two other extremely talented students who do not need to work too hard. It just doesn’t seem right. Furthermore, this football-loving nation has recently missed out on the opportunity to host the 2026 world cup, losing out to the United bid of Canada, Mexico, and the USA, it may not be fair to rub all their non-victories in their face.

Morocco begins their World Cup campaign against Asian surprise package, Iran on the 15th of June before tackling revered Spain and lastly, the European Champions, Portugal. If they are to book a place in the round-of-16, the Atlas Lions will have to get one over Iran and grind some sort of result against either Spain, Portugal or both. The likelihood of that actually happening is really next to impossible because of the two aforementioned more talented students in Spain and Portugal who are also vying for the two available spots. But with some instability that has recently struck the Spanish camp after the surprise sacking of their manager and also the wisdom of arguably the best coach in Africa, Herve Renard at work in the Moroccan camp, who knows what could happen.

I am actually optimistic that the Atlas Lions will pull off at least one major upset. However, here are my predictions for the final group B standings:

Portugal (1st); Spain (2nd); Morocco (3rd); Iran (4th)

What are your predictions? Let us know in the comment box below.

FT World Cup 2018: Africa Has Arrived - Egypt

In the history of the FIFA World Cup, no African team has ever reached the semi-finals. Ghana was agonizingly close in South Africa 2010 but crashed out after Luis Suarez’s heroics in goal, in place for a goalkeeper who was still in the game. Senegal’s Lions of Teranga had a great run in the 2002 finals before losing to Turkey, 1-0 after extra time. Can this year be a historical one for Africa?

Egypt is sweating over the fitness of their star man Mohamed Salah. If they are to have any chance of qualification to the next round, they are definitely going to need the services of the forward who can devastate opponents with his deft touch, exhilarating pace and crisp finishes.

The Egyptian team is in Group A with the hosts, Russia, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The favorites to win Group A are Uruguay led by two attackers in Louis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. They have enough firepower in their ranks to deal away with all their counterparts at this early stage. This might prove enough when they play against the three teams in the group. Egypt will hope to settle for a second-placed finish above Russia, who are the lowest ranking team in the tournament. As much as the hosts will have the fans in their backing, the Russian side has been disappointing in recent years and are likely going to be knocked out very early in the tournament.

The match to watch will be between Egypt and Russia, played on June 19. It has the potential to be the decider of who will make it to the Round of 16. Not much can be said about Saudi Arabia apart from the fact that they are the arch rivals of Egypt. They might cause an upset against the Pharaohs, but that is really far-fetched.

Predicted Standings: Uruguay (1st), Egypt (2nd), Russia (3rd) and Saudi Arabia (4th)

Russia 2018: Egypt target Portugal scalp, Lions of Teranga face South Korea

In preparation for the 2018 FIFA World cup finals, the Pharaohs of Egypt will face up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal while Aliou Cisse and his lions will battle South Korea. Egypt’s head coach, Hector Cuper is confident that their recent studies on the European champions and the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has prepared them to be unrelenting in expressing themselves in the friendly clash between the two.

“We have studied Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo like we studied Uruguay and its stars Cavani and Suarez. We will see in the game how we will do.

We will try to play well at the World cup and we will try many things against Portugal and Ronaldo.” - Hector Cuper

The former Inter Milan coach also added the Egyptian Football Association is untiringly working with the team to ensure that players’ world cup preparations will not be adversely affected by Islam’s holy month of fasting in May (Ramadan).

Meanwhile, Senegal’s Lions of Teranga will face fellow world cup finalists, South Korea in a friendly match on 11th June in preparation to face another Asian opponent, Japan in their Group H alongside Poland and Colombia.