The Senegalese ended up on the unlucky side of the match that opposed them to the Turks on Saturday June 22. The defeat of the Senegalese came after the Turks scored their goal of victory in the Golden Goal period, inflicting to the Senegalese the sort of sour defeat they themselves had inflicted to the Swedes to get to the quartfinals.
The goal of the Turks came at the 94th minute from Ilhan Mansiz, who sent the Turks to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup. The Turks themselves were making history as this was their very first time to reach this level of the competition. The last time they took part in the World Cup was in 54, but they never went beyong the first round. They will now have the hard task of facing a strong Brazilian team that appears poised to come out victorious in this competion.The Senegalese defeat left the continent in a mitigated state of desolation. Some expressed their disappointment at the defeat of Senegal in face of a team that many Africans believed Senegal could easily have overcome. Other are satisfied by the performance and are hoping for better next time.
No doubt the Senegalese team will be in for a hero's welcome when they return home. Their defeat will not be enough to make the continent forget that their road to the quarterfinal after teams such as Cameroon and Nigeria were eliminated remains, in itself, an exceptional achievement.
Allez, les Lions!
