Senegal World Cup 2018
2002 Quarter Finalists Senegal look to emulate that achievement as they prepare to take part in their second ever World Cup finals. Find here our 2018 FIFA World Cup Senegal analysis.
History at the World Cup
Senegal have only ever qualified for one previous World Cup finals tournament, and they exceeded all expectations to reach the last eight. They were the lowest ranked nation at the 2002 finals, and were favourites to finish bottom of a group containing the reigning world and European champions France. In the very first match of the tournament, Senegal produced one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history by beating the French 1-0.
A 1-1 draw with Denmark followed, and a 3-3 result against Uruguay in the final match was enough to secure second place in the group and a last 16 meeting with Sweden, who had topped their group ahead of England and Argentina. It was a close-fought game and required an extra-time golden goal to give Senegal the victory and a place in the Quarter Final.
A 0-0 draw after 90 minutes against Turkey meant they would go into extra time again, with one goal being enough to book a Semi Final against Brazil. Unfortunately for Senegal, it was Turkey who scored it to end a superb debut World Cup for the African nation. So, in terms of results after 90 minutes, Senegal are unbeaten from five matches at World Cup finals.
- World Cup Finals Appearances – 1
- Previous Best Performance – Quarter Final
How they qualified
Senegal qualified for Russia 2018 with relative ease. A 5-2 aggregate victory over Madagascar put them through to the third round of CAF qualifying, and they went unbeaten to top a group containing Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, and South Africa.
They did suffer a defeat during the campaign, away to South Africa, but the match result was void, and a replay ordered, due to the referee being banned for life after being found guilty of making decisions to manipulate the result. Senegal won the replay 2-0.
Coach/Manager
Senegal coach Aliou Cisse will be familiar with football fans around Europe.
As a player, he played for Birmingham City and Portsmouth in England, and appeared for several different French clubs, including PSG and Lille. He also earned 35 international caps and captained the Senegal team that reached the Quarter Finals of the 2002 World Cup.
His first coaching role after hanging up his boots was as Senegal Under-23 assistant manager, and he became their head coach for two years between 2013-2015.
After that, in January 2015, he took over from Alain Giresse as head coach of the senior team.
Star Players
There are several stand-out, and instantly recognisable, players in the Senegal squad but perhaps the star of the show is Liverpool’s Sadio Mane.
The 25-year-old has netted fourteen goals in fifty appearances for his country and was selected in the CAF Team of the Year in 2015 and 2016. He was voted Liverpool’s Player of the Year last season, following a £34m transfer from Southampton in June 2016.
He also played a huge part in Senegal’s run to the Quarter Finals of the 2017 AFCON, scoring in the opening two games.
Mane is one of ten players with recent caps who ply their trade in English football.
These include captain Cheikhou Kouyate of West Ham United.
Senegal World Cup 2018: Assessing Their Chances & Odds
Senegal have been drawn in what is considered to be the weakest group at this World Cup, alongside Poland, Colombia, and Japan.
It may look like a weak group, but it will no doubt throw up some extremely close matches.
Most bookmakers believe Colombia and Poland will be the two teams to go through, with Senegal just priced at slightly shorter odds, of 5/1, than Japan.
They do have a lot of talented players, with experience of playing in some of the top divisions in world football, and they are playing in a group containing the weakest top seed other than the hosts.
However, it is a long time since they appeared at a World Cup finals tournament and they haven’t been the most successful African team in recent years. So, it’s highly unlikely they will recreate their brilliant run to the last eight in 2002.
Our Senegal World Cup Predicition
We believe Senegal have some extremely talented players, but also think they may lack the strength in depth and experience at this level to do well in this tournament. Although they will probably be difficult to beat, and will play their part in some tough matches, we believe Senegal will finish outside the top two in their group and exit at the group stage.