FLASH NEWS
France-Senegal, the challenge that brings back the dark shadows of 2002 for the Transalpine Blues
2026-06-13 23:08:50 / POLITIKË
Papa Diop is a national hero in Senegal. No one forgets his 30th-minute goal against a strong France that played without Zinedine Zidane in the first two matches of the 2002 World Cup.
That goal and then that dance of all the Senegalese footballers at the corner flag became one of the most iconic images in World Cup history.
Pape Diop died in 2020 at the age of 42 after a battle with ALS and on Tuesday, in the challenge to be played in New York, his image will be present. As Deschamps recalls, this generation of stars at that time were taking their first steps. However, there are things that Senegal cling to believe. France, at the time, came as one of the favorite teams after winning the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, but in the edition of Japan and South Korea it failed completely
Deschamps warned his team that nothing is done and before traveling to the US he warned his team that it is not easy at all.
In 2002, Senegal were one of the best teams on the African continent with 21 of their 23 players playing in Ligue 1 and, coincidentally, coming off an Africa Cup of Nations final. That year they lost on penalties to Cameroon, while this year they won on penalties against Morocco, but the latter complained and won the trophy on the table due to Senegalese players leaving the field.
Team formations in 2002
Senegal : Tony Sylva; Omar Daf, Lamine Diatta, Pape Malick Diop, Ferdinand Coly; Aliou Cisse, Salif Diao, Moussa N'Diaye, Papa Bouba Diop, Khalilou Fadiga; Al-Hadji Diouf.
France: Fabien Barthez; Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, Frank Leboeuf, Bixente Lizarazu; Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira, Youri Djorkaeff; Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet, Thierry Henry.
France started the 2002 World Cup with a defeat and never recovered. In the second match, again without Zidane, they drew with Uruguay and in the third and most decisive match for the passage to the 1/8 finals, they lost to Denmark. Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson sealed the failure of the Blues led by Roger Lemerre.
'This match has made many young players of the current team dream. They will be the happiest people in the world - tells one of the protagonists of that match, Alassane N'Dour, to 'L'Equipe' - they will say: 'we will repeat what our ancestors did'. It was an achievement that no one thought would be possible at the time, except us. Because you have to understand that it is a match that has been transmitted from generation to generation, a historic match. It is wonderful'
In this edition, France does not come as world champions, but as a 2022 finalist, world champion in 2018 and as one of the big favorites with a constellation of stars led by Kylian Mbappe.
Happening now...
ideas
Two sides of the same coin!
Taulanda Jupi
Cikloni gjeopolitik dhe paktet e fundit të tranzicionit shqiptar
Nga Azgan Haklaj
Gen Z
Nga Neli Demi
top
Alfa recipes
services
- POLICE129
- STREET POLICE126
- AMBULANCE112
- FIREFIGHTER128