First Afcon, now World Cup – Senegal trapped in ‘football hell’
News
In the city famous for giving us rock legends Nirvana, Senegal contrived a way to slip from a blissful state back into football hell in Seattle.
And VAR is the devil laughing on their shoulder.
The parallels between the Teranga Lions’ last-gasp World Cup exit and January’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final, in which they were also infuriated by a controversial late penalty awarded following the intervention of the video assistant referee, are mind-blowingly similar.
Details
This time, thankfully, no one walked off the field as they lost 3-2 to Belgium after Youri Tielemans converted from the spot in the 125th minute.
But coach Pape Thiaw must surely feel a growing kinship with Sisyphus, the character from Greek mythology’s underworld doomed forever to pitch all his efforts into rolling a giant rock up a hill, only to see it crash down again just as he thinks he has reached the pinnacle.
“We had the game in hand,” Thiaw lamented afterwards, before noting it felt “cruel” to ultimately see success slip through their fingers.
Analysis
Latest ever winner, comeback and controversy – Senegal’s remarkable exit
For most of this match, Thiaw’s team played a heavenly game, cruising into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Premier League stars Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.
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