First Afcon, now World Cup – Senegal trapped in ‘football hell’

July 2, 2026 No Comments

First Afcon, now World Cup – Senegal trapped in ‘football hell’Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara needed comforting by team-mates after giving away the extra-time penalty which saw Senegal knocked out of the World CupByIan WilliamsBBC Sport AfricaPublished46 minutes agoIn 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.

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.

Newest 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.

Crystal Palace forward Sarr has played like an angel for large parts of Senegal’s campaign, his second-half effort here a thing of beauty as he deftly controlled a long ball forward on his chest before smashing past Thibaut Courtois.

That goal of the tournament contender meant the 28-year-old equalled Roger Milla’s African record of four strikes at a World Cup, which the Cameroon legend registered at Italia 90.

But unlike Milla or Senegal cult hero El Hadji Diouf, who played a similar role for his country at the 2002 finals and was watching in the stands this time around, Sarr will not get the chance to strut his stuff in the last 16 or quarter-finals.

Afcon memories come flooding back

Despite a season which saw him score 21 times in all competitions to help Palace lift the Uefa Conference League trophy, Sarr, more than most, will feel he has done something, somewhere, to offend the international sporting gods.

With the Afcon final against hosts Morocco locked at 0-0 at the start of second-half injury time, it was his headed ‘goal’ from a corner which was ruled out by referee Jean-Jacques Ndala, who had blown his whistle moments earlier for a foul.

It was a very soft decision and Senegal were aggrieved.

Minutes later, with virtually no time left on the clock, Morocco were handed the chance to doom Senegal, with Ndala going to the pitchside monitor following another corner, this time adjudging that Brahim Diaz had been unfairly hauled over by full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The chaos which followed at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium has blown a giant hole in the image of African football.

While I frantically tried to type out my match report in the media tribune, head down, a BBC colleague repeatedly tapped me on the shoulder to point out things like rioting fans, injured stewards being carried across the pitch and Senegal players leaving it.

After a long delay, in which Sadio Mane was among those who coaxed the team back out of the dressing room, I was left with my jaw on the floor as Diaz missed his penalty in the 24th minute of added time, dinking it Panenka-style into the grateful arms of Edouard Mendy.

Senegal went on to win the game 1-0 in extra time, only to see a Confederation of African Football appeal board strip them of the title two months later. The case is currently with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with Senegal having vowed a “crusade” to overturn the decision.

Pape Thiaw, visible from waist up wearing a white t-shirt, holds his left hand up to his chin in a thoughtful pose on the touchline during a football match. Out of focus in the background an assistant referee can be seen in an orange shirt, substitutes wear purple bibs and stewarding staff are in luminous yellow bibs — Image caption,

Pape Thiaw has been Senegal boss since December 2024

This time, there was no Mendy to act as white knight to the rescue, with the former Chelsea stopper injured and forced to sit out the game.

Looking agitated on the touchline, he watched helplessly as understudy Mory Diaw was beaten by Tielemans’ brutally efficient spot kick, despatched into the top corner like a dagger through Senegalese hearts.

While Diaw was helpless to stop the winner, he was at fault for Belgium’s equaliser, also scored by Tielemans in the 89th minute, having rushed off his line to punch away a cross he got nowhere near.

A penny for Mendy’s thoughts? Senegal had been two goals to the good until Romelu Lukaku pulled the first back for struggling Belgium in the 86th minute. The comeback was the newest any side has overturned a two-goal deficit and gone on to win a game in World Cup history.

“Once we conceded for 2-1, we dropped even deeper and they got their second goal,” Thiaw admitted.

“We tried to get back on our feet, but unfortunately it didn’t work.”

‘There was no penalty’

Belgium captain Youri Tielemans is fouled by Lamine Camara during the 2026 World Cup last-32 tie in Seattle. Tielemans is standing with his left leg planted forward as Camara slides in from the side, leading with his right leg. The contact between the pair is difficult to see, with the ball positioned right in front of their pink boots. Behind them, watching on, are two Senegal defenders and two Belgium attackers, including Romelu Lukaku. The Belgians wear white socks and shorts and light shirts made up of pink and turquoise patches, while the Senegalese are all in green with red and yellow trim. A blurred section of crowd is visible in the background — Image caption,

Lamine Camara’s foul on Youri Tielemans gave him the chance to score his 15th goal for Belgium

Just like in Rabat, the award of Belgium’s decisive penalty was once again contentious, with Honduran referee Mentioned Martinez agreeing with the VAR that Lamine Camara’s sliding challenge caught the back of Tielemans’ heel and prevented the midfielder playing the ball.

Senegal’s players protested vociferously, but Fifa has tightened its regulations to prevent a repeat of the Afcon final walk-off.

“Our interpretation was that there was no penalty,” Thiaw mentioned. “You have to accept, even if it’s difficult.”

Not everyone has responded so calmly to the disastrous defeat.

Midfielder Pape Gueye, the man who scored Senegal’s Afcon final ‘winning’ goal, has declared he is “taking a break” from international football until Thiaw and his coaching staff are relieved of their duties.

The Villarreal midfielder, recently voted the best African player in Spain’s La Liga, was taken off in the 66th minute against Belgium.

“The midfield was doing well, so why did he change it?” mentioned one heartbroken fan in Dakar.

“I simply don’t understand Thiaw’s tactical choices,” mentioned another, who also criticised the decision to withdraw Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye.

“It’s not easy to lose this kind of match,” Thiaw mentioned. “Unfortunately, it slipped away from us, but it’s football.”

From Afcon hero to World Cup fall guy in the space of a few short months – Thiaw knows better than most how football can be a devilishly cruel mistress.

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