EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Dancing broke out in the streets of Dakar during the final World Cup match between France and Senegal.
Les Bleus were the defending champions when the Lions of Teranga came from behind to win 1-0 in the opening game of 2002, prompting Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to declare it a public holiday.
France midfielder N’Golo Kante said through an interpreter on Monday, the day before Les Bleus and Senegal play in Group I, “I don’t want revenge, I want to win as much as possible in this tournament.”
Senegal was a French colony before 1960.
“We know that the France-Senegal match is a very symbolic match,” Senegal coach Pape Tiao said through an interpreter.
Six of France’s players were not yet born at the time of the 2002 match. Papa Bouba Diop scored in the 30th minute while lying sideways. In the same year, the Teranga Lions reached the quarter-finals but lost to Turkey, while France were winless and failed to advance from their group.
“There is no revenge in soccer,” France coach Didier Deschamps said through an interpreter. “This is another page to write now and what happened in 2002, well, good luck to Senegal. I mean it was good for them back then, but this time we will make sure the result is positive for us.”
France are two-time champions and are aiming to reach their third consecutive World Cup final. Les Bleus won the championship in 1998, 2018after that Lost to Argentina in the 2022 final About penalty kicks.
The French team is ranked 3rd in the world, and the Senegalese team is 16th.
“Our main enemy is ourselves,” Kante said. “We cannot make ourselves too beautiful or too strong.”
Thiau was included in the 2002 Senegal squad, but only played in one game, a win over Sweden in the Round of 16. He will pass on the lessons he learned from the late Bruno Metsu, who coached the Senegal national team in 2002.
“Of course, there will be a Bruno effect when I talk to the players tomorrow,” Thiau said. “I add my personal touch and also what Bruno taught me.”
Visa refusal may not reduce Senegalese supporters’ attendance at stadiums
Senegal fans visa denied by the US government But Thiau expects supporters to be inside MetLife Stadium.
“Of course we want the fans. We know what the fans will do for us. They will push us,” Thiau said. “But we have a major Senegalese community and we know that Senegalese are very patriotic and love their national team. You’ll see this tomorrow. You won’t even believe there’s not a single Senegalese from Senegal.”
For now, Africa’s champion is Morocco, not Senegal.
Senegal won the 2022 Africa Cup of Nationsafter that 1-0 victory over Morocco This year’s finals featured only the Atlas Lions. Won a bye with a score of 3-0 Africa’s governing body for football made the decision after Teranga’s Lions left the field for 15 minutes during stoppage time to protest a penalty awarded to their opponents.
Senegal appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“For me, we are absolutely the champions of Africa,” Thiaw said.
Didier Deschamps approaches his World Cup manager’s record
Deschamps said he would do so in January. Retiring this summer after 14 years of service At the same job. Tuesday’s game will be the manager’s 20th as a World Cup manager, leaving him just five behind Helmut Schoen’s record in West Germany.
He is one of only three men to win a World Cup title as a player and coach. He joins Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer.
No extreme heat expected in New Jersey
Tuesday’s game begins at 3 p.m. EDT with sunny skies expected, but temperatures at kickoff are expected to be around 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius), significantly lower than last weekend.
After arriving in the United States last Wednesday, the French team trained at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
“We had to train in the sun and the heat, and we realized how tiring it can be as a result,” Kante said.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
