Seventeen years after they reached the Africa Cup of Nations final and lost 3-2 on penalties to Cameroon, Senegal’s unfinished business with the competition rumbles on after last Friday’s failure at the last hurdle.
After an early goal from Algerian centre-forward Baghdad Bounedjah thankks to a huge slice of luck, the Lions failed to rise tothe occasion much to the displeasure of an entire nation.
The Teranga Lions run to the final of AFCON 2019 was not without its problems.
But once again, they fell short of an essential thing – winning.
Thus fans of Senegal’s national team will continue the long wait for the day their players will lift their first continental title.
Nevertheless, the popular reception reserved for the players a day after their dismal failure speaks volumes about their long journey back home.
Against the Desert Foxes, the Lions claws were blunted where they mattered most.
“It’s a great performance. We didn’t miss much. We took an early goal on a counter-attack. We had control of the balloon but it was sterile. This is partly due to the central referee (Cameroonian Alioum Alioum) who did not take the cards out very early to punish the many Algerian fouls,” former national coach Amara Traoré said.
In their bid to repel attack after attack, the Desert foxes refused to play by camping in their own half.
Statistically, Senegal dominated with 59 percent of the ball, managed 12 shots including seven on target and six corners.
Like in the group game, the Algerian players systematically committed fouls (32 in total), sometimes undermining the flow of the game, in order to protect their marginal lead at all cost.
“We didn’t have the luck to be champions, especially on crucial moments of the game such as the penalty denied (Adlène Guedioura’s hand ball in the penalty area from a cross by Ismaïla Sarr). However, there was no consistency in the Lions’ game. Senegal never played to 90 percent of its potential. If they had raised their game, they would easily have been African champions,” Salif Diallo of the state-owned Senegalese Press Agency (APS) said.
During the tournament in the land of the Pharaohs, Senegal played seven games, won six and lost two.
The Lions scored eight times and conceded twice.
Senegal have five players on the tournament’s best XI unveiled by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
They are Kalidou Koulibaly (center back), Youssouf Sabaly (left back), Lamine Gassama (right back), Idrissa Gana Guèye (defensive midfielder) and Sadio Mané (forward).
According to Diallo, Senegal’s failure in the final was above all due to the sterility of its top strikers.
“They didn’t really influence the game. None of them scored. I think Aliou Cissé was wrong about the choice of top strikers. I rued the absence of Habib Diallo (24) from FC Metz, the second highest scorer in the French Ligue 2 (26 goals in 37 games),” he said.
While he acknowledged that “Cissé has helped the team to progress,” the sports journalist, who covered his ninth AFCON in Egypt, said he wanted more.
“We can have regrets. Throughout the competition, Senegal did not properly master their game plan. The Lions have not developed a good run like Algeria did, although the coach has been leading the team for four years,” said Salif Diallo.
He went on to point out the shortcomings of the national team’s approach to set-pieces, a formidable weapon in modern football.
“Senegal didn’t score any goals from free kicks or corners. Worse still, under Aliou Cissé, the Lions scored only three goals from deadball situations (2 in AFCON 2017 and one in the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers). So there is a weakness in that area even if we have five to six players who are towering figures at over 6.2 ft” he said.
Throughout the tournament, the Lions received 12 yellow cards, an average of 1.7 cards per game.
But Kalidou Koulibaly’s booking in the semi-final against Tunisia (1-0) had serious consequences.
Being ruled out for the final deprived Cisse of the centerpiece of his defensive lineup.
Senegal won the AFCON “fair play prize” where Krépin Diatta, who was making his debut in the continent’s biggest sporting event, was crowned best young player.
Much awaited after his triumph in the European Champions League, Sadio Mané with his three goals, did not set fire to the competition at all.
The Liverpool forward even showed himself to be very nervy while taking penalties, fluffing twice in three attempts.
“So far, Sadio Mané has not made a reference match in the national team. He certainly had lightning flashes during the tournament, but I expected him to really carry the national team,” the APS reporter said.
All in all, Amara Traoré, current president of the Linguère de Saint-Louis (Ligue 2 sénégalaise) remains optimistic.
“The future of this team will be bright. AFCON 2021 and the World Cup 2022 are coming very quickly. The next objective is the cup. Now, a cold evaluation of the campaign is needed to see how to optimize the Lions’ performance,” the former international said.
The 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which Cameroon will host, will take place between October 2019 and November 2020.
Senegal is placed in Group I along with Congo, Guinea-Bissau and Eswatini.
ID/te/lb/as/APA