A whole country in dreams. Senegal has the opportunity, Wednesday, February 2 (from 8 p.m.), to reach the third African Cup of Nations final in its history. The competition refuses to the Lions of Teranga, never titled despite two finals, in 2002 (lost to Cameroon) and during the last edition, in 2019 (defeated by Algeria). “I want this CAN. I have been running behind it since 1999”coach Aliou Cissé announced when the 27 players selected for the competition were announced.
Captain in 2002, he was very close to being the first Senegalese to lift this trophy. Senegal had been beaten on penalties in the final by other Lions, indomitable this time, those of Patrick Mboma.
Cissé also experienced failure as a coach in 2019, with another defeat in the final, this time against the Algerian Fennecs. The Teranga Lions coach therefore has revenge to take. His men must first beat Burkina Faso, before then facing Cameroon or Egypt.
Nothing compares to the atmosphere of #TotalEnergiesAFCON.
The family of #TeamSenegal celebrates qualifying for the semi-finals #CAN2021 ! #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 | @Fsfofficial pic.twitter.com/Xo7dArRTwG
— #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 – FR (@caf_online_FR) January 31, 2022
To achieve this goal, the former captain of the Lions has summoned a veritable armada, the best team on paper, with 19 players from the five major European championships among the 27 called up. On each line, Aliou Cissé has players who play in the Champions League regularly, such as Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), voted best goalkeeper of the year 2021 by Fifa, Kalidou Koulibaly, three times defender of the year in Serie A and Sadio Mané, African Ballon d’Or in 2019.
This extraordinary pool has given Senegal the status of big favorite of this edition. The country’s president, Macky Sall, was clear before the selection left for Cameroon in early January: “This time, I’m not talking about the final but about the cup. You will have to fight to bring us the cup”.
Is it because of this pressure that rests on their shoulders that the Senegalese stammer their football? The start of the tournament was sluggish for Sadio Mané’s teammates. Admittedly, they came out of the group stage without conceding a single goal, but the Lions only roared once, on a penalty from the Liverpool winger in stoppage time. “They say that abundance of goods does not harm but it is not necessarily true for Senegal”analyzes Philippe Troussier, who has coached an African team five times.
“What happens is that in the living together of such a workforce, there can be problems, great players can end up on the bench and not play in the tournament.”
Philippe Troussier, former coachAt franceinfo: sports
For Philippe Troussier, a good selection is divided into three parts, “those who are fighting to be starters, those who are able to be on the bench with an irreproachable state of mind and come in for three minutes, and those who will never play like Adil Rami during the Cup of the world 2018”.
The critics started to make themselves heard. Henri Camara, the most capped player in the selection (between 1999 and 2009), did not mince his words after the draw against Malawi on January 18. “I don’t understand Senegal’s game. It’s unacceptable that this team can suffer the rhythm of an opponent, especially when they have all their strength. We’ll have to put things straight”scolded the top scorer in the history of the Lions of Teranga, interviewed by the Senegalese daily The Observer.
The first two matches of the final phase, against Cape Verde and then Equatorial Guinea, however reassured the supporters. With five different scorers, the Senegalese have taken advantage of the depth of their workforce. “They have gained momentum, it’s a good thing. They have the means to go all the way”assures Alain Giresse, predecessor of Aliou Cissé at the head of the team.
The experience that makes the difference
65 ‘: Cheikhou Kouyaté enters the field
68′: Cheikhou Kouyaté scores the 2nd for #TeamSenegal #TotalEnergiesAFCON2021 | #CAN2021 pic.twitter.com/2RQYUtdP20— Football (@FootballSenegal) February 1, 2022
The French technician recalls that Côte d’Ivoire with Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré and Gervinho has never won the CAN. The Ivorian golden generation failed twice in the final in 2006 and 2012, each time on penalties. Senegal, unhappy against Algeria, wants to believe that, for its part, the hour of triumph has come.