The Guardian

‘No doubt’

Senegal fans hope for victory

Nick Roll Dakar

ust under 4,500 miles away from the shiny stadiums in Qatar, Serigne Fallou confidently proclaims that he already knows what the result will be tomorrow when England take on Senegal in the World Cup’s round of 16.

“Absolutely Senegal will win, 1-0,” says Fallou, an apartment doorman in Dakar, Senegal’s bustling capital on the Atlantic Ocean. “I don’t have a doubt.”

There’s a buzz in the air in the west African country, where the Lions of Teranga have been on a hot streak of late. Players such as Sadio Mané, who recently transferred from Liverpool to Bayern Munich, Kalidou Koulibaly of Chelsea and Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye star in the European leagues. They bested Mo Salah’s Egypt to win the Africa Cup of Nations this year, sparking street parties in Dakar that delayed the arrival of the winners.

“They will win. The Senegalese team is the champion of Africa,” says Ousseynou Thioune, selling a variety of jerseys and wristbands on a busy boulevard. “They’re still the Lions, even without Sadio,” Thioune says, referencing the star forward Mané, who was injured in a Bayern game just before the beginning of the World Cup.

When it was announced the Ballon d’Or runner-up had to sit it out, consternation among the football-crazed populace ensued. Yet the Lions have more than persevered. Their opener against the Netherlands, a 2-0 loss, was quickly pushed aside with 3-1 and 2-1 wins over Qatar and Ecuador.

“This year, this World Cup, I hope the Africans are going to the final. An African team must qualify. And Senegal is the best,” Thioune says. Along with Senegal, Morocco has also advanced out of the group stage. “Football helps people forget about unemployment, it helps people forget about their problems,” Thioune adds.

“When there’s football, everybody is talking about football. You’re forced to forget your problems – even the politicians, even the president.”

News | World Cup 2022

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2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://guardian.pressreader.com/article/281672553968153

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