As FIFA World Cup debuts go, it can’t get better than beating the defending champions and tournament favourites. Catch the 2022 FIFA World Cup on SuperSport in 13 languages. Press "Options" on your remote for languages available in your region.
That’s exactly what Senegal did against France in another sensational opening game moment for African football along with Cameroon’s win against Argentina in 1990 and Siphiwe Tshabalala’s goal against Mexico in 2010.
In 2002, it was the turn of Senegal to be the continent’s pride in South Korea and Japan. Cameroon had broken the mould by reaching the quarter-finals in 1990. Nigeria had impressed many, but failed to make the final eight in either 1994 or 1998.
The Teranga Lions went on to reach the quarter-finals (still the joint-best result by an African team) that started with a match against the nation’s former colonisers.
France were at their peak. Not only had they won the tournament for the first time in 1998, France had also won the European Championship after that (a feat that’s only been repeated by Spain with their triumphs in 2010 and 2012).
While Zinedine Zidane was injured, the team still boasted undoubted world class players such as Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Marcell Desailly, Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira (who was coming up against the country he had left when he was a child).
All of these players were familiar to the Senegalese team who fielded an entire starting eleven that played their club football in France.
30 minutes into the game, France were already getting frustrated at the not getting their own way against a skillful and organised Senegal team. Clearly the Teranga Lions weren’t scared of their reputation.
Then El Hadji Diouf put Frank Leboeuf on his backside, put in a cross on the left that caused caused confusion in the penalty area which left Papa Bouba Diop with an empty net to stab home a goal that put a whole continent into raptures.
In the spirit of Roger Milla, Diop ran to the corner flag in celebration, laying his shirt on the ground where his team proceed to dance around it.
It was a moment that inspired so many that watched it, not least of all a 10-year-old in Bambali called Sadio Mane.
Senegal spent the rest of the game heroically keeping out the French attack and eventually pulled off a win that well and truly put them on the world football map.
That win echoed Cameroon’s 1990 achievement as an African victory against defending champions in the opening game. It also started a definite trend of the holders not making it past the group stage.
Italy suffered an early exit in 2010 followed by Spain in 2014. Most recently, it was Germany that didn’t get out of their group in 2018. Clearly, there’s a modern football lesson in there that you can’t just replicate what’s worked for you in the past. A team needs to adapt to stay on top.
What odds on a similar fate happening to France in Qatar?
As for the 2002 Senegal side, they eventually beat Sweden with a golden goal in the Round of 16 and lost by the same method to Turkey in the quarter-finals.
Sadly, Papa Bouba Diop passed away two years ago at the age of 42. As the Teranga Lions embark on another FIFA World Cup journey this year, his spirit and legacy that he created from that famous goal well and truly lives on.