10 reasons for Senegal to take heart after the disappointment

10 reasons for Senegal to take heart after the disappointment On Wednesday night, Senegal experienced one of the greatest traumas in its World Cup history. Even crueler than the elimination on fair-play points because of yellow card accumulation at the 2018 edition. This comeback suffered against Belgium (2-3) will remain one of the most painful episodes ever endured by an African nation at a World Cup. But amid this gloom, the Land of Teranga can still look to the future with optimism. Nearly 48 hours after the Seattle fiasco, here are ten consolations for supporters and lovers of Senegalese football. In "only" 352 days, Senegal will have the chance to erase this disappointment by winning the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. Kick-off on June 19, 2027! Senegal had pulled off a comeback (3-2) against DR Congo to secure qualification for the World Cup. Ten months later, the Lions were victims of the reverse scenario: a comeback against Belgium, with three goals scored by players of Congolese origin, Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans. That’s sport too! Senegal became the first African nation to score ten goals in a single World Cup.
After narrowly avoiding elimination in the first round, Senegal now has three qualifications for the knockout stage in four World Cup appearances.
In the weeks or months following this elimination, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) could potentially restore Senegal’s status as African champion.
Ismaïla Sarr became the second-highest African scorer in World Cup history (5 goals).
Ibrahim Mbaye became the youngest African scorer in World Cup history and the fourth-youngest scorer of any nationality (18 years and 143 days old).
Senegal recorded the biggest win in World Cup history by an African national team thanks to its 5-0 victory over Iraq.

Long reluctant to hand the keys of the team to its new generation, Senegal will finally be able to speed up its transition. Ibrahim Mbaye, Assane Diao, Mamadou Sarr, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye... The next generation is already here! It is also one of the striking images of the tournament. This group of Senegalese supporters gave us one of the finest moments of fair play at the World Cup by taking part in the Viking Row with the Norwegian fans, despite their team’s defeat to the Scandinavians. -  This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.