Senegal are back where they belong at the World Cup, and they look dangerous

The dream ended with a swing of Ilhan Mansiz’s right boot four minutes into extra time. The Besiktas striker met Umit Davala’s cross from the right with a precise half volley to send Turkey through to the semifinal of the 2002 World Cup. The end was abrupt — this was the era of the Golden Goal, sudden death, when a single kick could end a nation’s hopes.

The team that lost was Senegal.

In the build-up to that quarterfinal clash, Senegal told anyone who cared to listen they would win the World Cup. It seemed overly ambitious — and that’s without considering they would’ve faced Brazil if they got past Turkey — but when you defeat the world champions, as Senegal did against France in their first ever World Cup game, “impossible” doesn’t exactly exist in your lexicon.

Mansiz’s right foot ended those lofty goals, but the fact that a country of Senegal’s size (just 10 million people) that was making its World Cup debut even harbored such dreams was frankly remarkable.

That was 2002, and it only seemed like Senegal were heading for bigger and better things. A quarterfinal appearance in a country’s first World Cup sent a signal to the rest of the world — Senegal were ready to become a global soccer power.

Then, they weren’t.

Senegal failed to qualify in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Stars came and went. Coaches came and went. Players began international careers and ended them.

Now, 16 years later, they’re finally back.

The similarities between the 2002 side and the current team heading to these World Cup finals in Russia are numerous. And the obvious place to start is with head coach Aliou Cisse, the captain of Senegal’s golden generation back in 2002. Cisse was a standout for the team that, heading into the tournament, had very few internationally recognizable names, save for the exception of then 21-year-old El-Hadji Diouf.

Diouf was playing his football in France with Lens at the time, and as the reigning African Footballer of the Year, he had the world at his feet. A move to Liverpool followed. This talented Senegal side also has its own Liverpool star in Sadio Mané, the team’s most dangerous attacker and on-field leader. In Mané, Senegal has a genuine world-class talent in its ranks, a turbo-charged winger with lightness in his boots and an unerring ability to finish off chances.

Coming off the back of a successful season that included 10 Champions League goals, Mané is the man with the weight of expectations on his shoulders. And unlike Diouf, who had a combustible character, Mané is shy and disciplined, a quiet leader who shows the way through his actions rather than chest-thumping bravado.

For all of Mané’s brilliance, though, Senegal is not a one-man team. This is a squad chock-full of talent from back to front, their nation’s best team in 16 years.

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is a giant of man, a one-man defensive unit whose robustness at the heart of defense contributed immensely to his side’s title charge in Serie A. Playing alongside him is Anderlecht’s Kara Mbodji, and together they form a formidable pairing. The midfield trio of Idrissa Gueye, Cheikhou Kouyate, and Badou N’Diaye is as steely as a midfield trio gets at a World Cup.

Cisse favors a 4-3-3 that allows his side take advantage of their pace upfront as they break in numbers. A front three of Keita Balde, M’Baye Niang, and Mané is full of pace and goals. Diafra Sakho and Moussa Sow are more physical options from the bench, a couple of machetes among an array of Swiss Army knives.

There is an air of cautious optimism that Senegal could emulate its sole appearance at the World Cup. With remarkable talent comes expectations, and despite goodwill from fans, there are legitimate questions to be asked of Cisse and whether he’s getting the best out of his team. Heading to the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon in 2017, Senegal was massive favorites to win.

And how could they not be? They had the best squad on paper, and with the absence of superpowers like Nigeria and big names such as Egypt just finding its feet, this proved a great opportunity for Senegal to break its run of bad luck. Yet despite playing some impressive football in the group stage, Senegal fell to a lacklustre Cameroon side on penalties in the quarterfinal.

For a global perspective, there are striking similarities between Senegal and Belgium: A talented bunch of players perceived to have what it takes to go all the way but with what seems to be a coaching handicap.

Yet it would be churlish to heap all the blame on Cisse, as there are structural issues to contend with on the field. For all their brilliance on the counterattack, Senegal has a problem funneling the ball to its forwards when the pace slows down. The midfield trio are all natural ball winners and in the absence of a natural playmaker, Senegal’s play can become turgid and hard to watch.

Despite the questions about Cisse’s aptitude hope abounds that Senegal could make a mark at the World Cup yet again. Drawn in a group of no obvious favorites with Colombia, Japan and Poland, Senegal is quietly confident of making it out of the group at least. Much will depend on Mané, the obvious heir to Diouf, better and without the theatrics. If the Liverpool winger shows anything close to his best form, Senegal stands an excellent chance to advance.

Senegal will not only be competing against the rest of the world, but the weight of expectations both from its fans and those still pining for the success of the 2002 team.

Cisse knows comparisons with his team of yesteryear are inevitable. The players themselves are all aware of the historical significance of following in the footsteps of a team they watched as starry-eyed boys still hoping to make their way in the game. The scale of their achievement bears repeating for just how improbable it was.

Senegal, under the stewardship of Metsu, roared its way to the quarterfinal in Korea/Japan, becoming only the second African side at the time to make it that far. They captured the world’s attention with their style of football and rhythm — an unheralded bunch of players who left their mark on the global stage when nothing was expected of them.

The foundation of success for that team were laid months ahead of the tournament, in the rough and tumble competition of the Africa Cup of Nations held in Mali in January and February 2002. The Teranga Lions shocked an entire continent by making it to the final, where they lost to a Cameroon side at the peak of its powers.

It was a notice to African teams and anyone paying attention: Senegal was ready for the World Cup. Captained by Cisse, whose penalty miss in that final proved decisive, this was the golden age of Senegalese football, with a squad also containing generational talents like goalkeeper Sylva, Khalilou Fadiga, Daf and, of course, Diouf.

And now, after years of failure, it appears we have a new golden age.

The intervening period between Korea/Japan and Russia has been unkind to a Senegal side that is delighted to be back to the World Cup. After the historic high of that glorious summer in Korea/Japan, manager Bruno Metsu’s departure saw a wave of underwhelming appointments off the pitch and disappointing results on it. The team failed to make any impact on the African scene, and couldn’t qualify for the World Cup either.

There was a dearth of talent as middling mediocrity became the order of the day. Senegal remains Africa’s perennial underachievers, the best side on the continent never to have won the continental title. In 2015, Alain Giresse led Senegal to the Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea ... and couldn’t make it past the group stage.

The FA took decisive action: Giresse was out and despite high-profile managers throwing their hat in the ring, former captain Cisse was appointed. He was 38 and with little in the way of managerial experience under his belt. But he was there in Seoul marshaling the midfield and snapping at French heels as Senegal made a grand entry to the World Cup finals all those years back. Yet the appointment was a gamble, even if there was some method to the madness.

Tired of high-profile names who routinely failed to deliver, the FA went for a blank canvas, a manager untainted by failures of years past and whose wealth of experience leading the national side on the pitch suggested he could do a similar job off it.

Cisse surrounded himself with a number of teammates from their golden era: Tony Sylva as goalkeeping coach, Omar Daf as assistant manager, and Lamine Diatta as team coordinator. After failing to qualify for three successive World Cups, Senegal did not lose a game en route to Russia, conceding five and scoring 15 in eight games. At 42, Cisse will be the youngest manager at the World Cup and only the second African manager at these finals. It’s fair to say the gamble has paid off.

Unlike the 2002 side that was unknown to many, the exponential surge of knowledge among football fans means this side’s potential success will not come as such a surprise as the team 16 years ago. As it was in Seoul, much will depend on Cisse’s ability to get things right. If he does, the dream could, implausibly, be on in Moscow.