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 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.

FT World Cup 2018: Senegal Earn Three Important Points

After a long wait for a win by an African team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Senegal has finally broken the duck as they marched to a 2-1 victory against Poland. The British media has dubbed the result a ‘shock’ win but was it really unexpected? Our African football expert, Dennis Takaendesa, boldly predicted that Senegal would top Group H ahead of Colombia, Japan and Poland prior to this match. This is because of the fire-power that the African side possesses as well as their tactical discipline drilled into them by the new coach, Aliou Cisse. For those of you that missed the match, here’s a recap.

Senegal set up with a compact 4-4-2 formation that sought to cover the field and limit the passing lanes for the Polish team. Their goal was to starve Robert Lewandowski from having any impact in the game, and it worked effectively.

Poland had little in the match before Idrissa Gana Gueye took a shot from distance which deflected off of Cionek before rolling into the back of the net. 1-0 to Les Lions de la Téranga. Poland had to chase the game but were well and truly outmatched for most of it. 15 minutes into the second half, Cisse's team added a second through M’baye Niang which lifted the spirits of the fans. For some of us who were watching the match in the comforts of our homes, you could not imagine how much furniture was broken in our joyous celebrations as Senegal proved once again that they are not underdogs. Krychowiak scored a consolation in the 86th minute but it was not enough.

Senegal made a statement in their attempts to get out of the group stage. We analyzed how the African teams lost the previous matches and detailed out how Senegal should play. They did just that. Thank you, Senegal. We are now hungry for more.