Senegal, welcome to 'Group of Dead'
End of the road for Senegal striker Papiss Demba Cisse
Teranga Lions fail to roar
In Ghana, the joke is about an Africa Cup of Nations ‘Group of
Dead’ that features Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa.
They were the big teams who were already dead on arrival at the 28th edition of African football’s showpiece event.
And after just five days of action, one of the pre-tournament favourites Senegal have now also joined this group of have-beens.
Almost everybody probably got carried away with the awesome attacking Arsenal that Senegal possess – Demba Ba, Moussa Sow, Papiss Cisse, Mamadou Niang, Dame N’doye and Souleymane Camara.
But like one commentator rightly summed up, football is not all about goals and attack as you also have to create in midfield as well as guard your goal back in defence.
From their first Group A match in Bata, Zambia clearly exposed the frailties of the Senegal backline.
Coach Herve Renard would later talk about how he ordered his Copper Bullets to run at the slow and cumbersome Senegal back four led by Souleymane Diawara.
Chipolopolo left Diawara and company for dead in thought and action that after only 20 minutes they ought to have been at least four goals up, rather than lead with goals by Emmanuel Mayuka and the classy Rainford Kalaba.
Against co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Senegal came up against a team of players with fire boiling in their bellies, after they are not nicknamed ‘Lightening’ for the sake of it.
Senegal goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul boasted before this competition he will follow in the footsteps of the great Tony Sylva. He will take the blame for the late Nzalang winner as he was badly out of position.
That may also explain why he has been released by the MLS side New York Red Bulls.
The Teranga Lions have always prided themselves of having top-class ball winners in midfield, the likes of Papa Bouba Diop, Salif Diao and Amdy Faye.
But their presumed successors did not come to the party at the AFCON as they allowed Zambia and Equatorial Guinea stroll through the middle and go right at an already suspect defence.
Even the dreaded Senegal strike force that plundered 16 goals in the qualifiers fired blanks when it came to the crunch with only Moussa Sow and Dame N’doye so far getting on the scoreboard.
What is now certain is that coach Amara Traore, whose tactics clearly fell short particularly against Zambia, will be one of the immediate scapegoats from this catastrophe.
Those who had hedged on a new contract for the local coach before this tournament may now be justified.
The 2002 World Cup quarterfinalists will now turn their attention to the qualifying tournaments for the 2013 Nations Cup as well as the 2014 World Cup.
For Brazil 2014, they are drawn against a resurgent Uganda, Angola and Liberia.
They could well go past this group, but will they then again crash and not cruise when it finally comes to the crunch in the winner-takes-it-all stage of these qualifiers?
They were the big teams who were already dead on arrival at the 28th edition of African football’s showpiece event.
And after just five days of action, one of the pre-tournament favourites Senegal have now also joined this group of have-beens.
Almost everybody probably got carried away with the awesome attacking Arsenal that Senegal possess – Demba Ba, Moussa Sow, Papiss Cisse, Mamadou Niang, Dame N’doye and Souleymane Camara.
But like one commentator rightly summed up, football is not all about goals and attack as you also have to create in midfield as well as guard your goal back in defence.
From their first Group A match in Bata, Zambia clearly exposed the frailties of the Senegal backline.
Coach Herve Renard would later talk about how he ordered his Copper Bullets to run at the slow and cumbersome Senegal back four led by Souleymane Diawara.
Chipolopolo left Diawara and company for dead in thought and action that after only 20 minutes they ought to have been at least four goals up, rather than lead with goals by Emmanuel Mayuka and the classy Rainford Kalaba.
Against co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Senegal came up against a team of players with fire boiling in their bellies, after they are not nicknamed ‘Lightening’ for the sake of it.
Senegal goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul boasted before this competition he will follow in the footsteps of the great Tony Sylva. He will take the blame for the late Nzalang winner as he was badly out of position.
That may also explain why he has been released by the MLS side New York Red Bulls.
The Teranga Lions have always prided themselves of having top-class ball winners in midfield, the likes of Papa Bouba Diop, Salif Diao and Amdy Faye.
But their presumed successors did not come to the party at the AFCON as they allowed Zambia and Equatorial Guinea stroll through the middle and go right at an already suspect defence.
Even the dreaded Senegal strike force that plundered 16 goals in the qualifiers fired blanks when it came to the crunch with only Moussa Sow and Dame N’doye so far getting on the scoreboard.
What is now certain is that coach Amara Traore, whose tactics clearly fell short particularly against Zambia, will be one of the immediate scapegoats from this catastrophe.
Those who had hedged on a new contract for the local coach before this tournament may now be justified.
The 2002 World Cup quarterfinalists will now turn their attention to the qualifying tournaments for the 2013 Nations Cup as well as the 2014 World Cup.
For Brazil 2014, they are drawn against a resurgent Uganda, Angola and Liberia.
They could well go past this group, but will they then again crash and not cruise when it finally comes to the crunch in the winner-takes-it-all stage of these qualifiers?
WARNING TO SENEGAL AND EQ GUINEA MAKE IT THE LAST TO UNDERRATE CHIPOLOPOLO THE COPPER BULLET THAT THEY ARE UNDER DOG, GIVE RESPECT ZAMBIA.
SORRY 4 SENGAL NEXT TIME
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