10 reasons for Senegal to take heart after the disappointment | OneFootball

On Wednesday evening, Senegal went through the greatest trauma in its World Cup history. Even crueler than their elimination on fair-play points due to yellow-card accumulation at the 2018 edition.

This comeback suffered against Belgium (2-3) will remain one of the most painful episodes ever experienced by an African nation at a World Cup.

But amid this gloom, the country of Teranga can still look to the future with optimism.

Nearly 24 hours after the Seattle fiasco, while criticism and mockery continue to pour in, let us try, somehow, to find ten reasons for consolation for supporters and followers of Senegalese football.

- In “only” 352 days, Senegal will have the chance to erase this disappointment by winning the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Kick-off on June 19, 2027!

- Senegal had pulled off a comeback (3-2) against DR Congo to secure qualification for the World Cup. Ten months later, the Lions were on the receiving end of the opposite scenario (2-3): a comeback suffered against Belgium, with three goals scored by players of Congolese origin, Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans. That’s sport too!

- Senegal became the first African nation to score ten goals in a single World Cup.

- Ismaïla Sarr is now the second-highest African scorer in World Cup history (5 goals).

- Ibrahim Mbaye can boast of being the youngest African scorer in World Cup history and the fourth-youngest scorer of any nationality (18 years and 143 days).

- Senegal recorded the biggest win in World Cup history by an African national team thanks to its 5-0 victory over Iraq.

- After narrowly avoiding elimination in the first round, Senegal now has three qualifications for the knockout stage in four World Cup appearances.

- In the weeks or months following the World Cup, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) could potentially restore Senegal’s status as African champion.

- Long reluctant to hand the team over to its new generation, Senegal will finally be able to speed up its transition. Ibrahim Mbaye (PSG), Assane Diao (Como), Mamadou Sarr (Chelsea), Bara Sapoko Ndiaye (Bayern)... The next generation is already here!

- This was also one of the striking images of the tournament. This group of Senegalese supporters gave us one of the finest displays of fair play at the World Cup by taking part in the Viking Row with the Norwegian fans, despite their team’s defeat against the Scandinavians.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

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