Senegal's World Cup heartbreak echoes Afcon final agony

In Seattle, a city famous for giving the world rock legends Nirvana, Senegal found themselves plunged from football bliss back into a familiar hell. The parallels between their last-gasp World Cup exit and the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final in January are striking: both matches were decided by controversial late penalties awarded after VAR intervention.

This time, Senegal lost 3-2 to Belgium after Youri Tielemans converted a spot kick in the 125th minute. Unlike the Afcon final, no players walked off the field, but the sense of déjà vu was palpable. Coach Pape Thiaw must feel a growing kinship with Sisyphus, the Greek mythological figure doomed to endlessly roll a boulder uphill only to see it crash down at the last moment.

"We had the game in hand," Thiaw lamented afterward, describing the outcome as "cruel."

A commanding lead unravels

For most of the match, Senegal played a near-perfect game, racing to a 2-0 lead with goals from Premier League stars Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr. Sarr's second-half strike was a thing of beauty: he controlled a long ball on his chest before smashing it past Thibaut Courtois. The goal, a contender for best of the tournament, saw Sarr equal Roger Milla's African record of four goals at a single World Cup, set by the Cameroon legend at Italia 90.

Unlike Milla or Senegal cult hero El Hadji Diouf—who played a similar role at the 2002 finals and watched from the stands—Sarr will not progress to the round of 16 or quarterfinals. Despite scoring 21 goals in all competitions for Crystal Palace and helping them win the UEFA Conference League, Sarr may feel he has offended the international sporting gods.

Afcon memories resurface

The Afcon final against hosts Morocco was scoreless deep into second-half injury time when Sarr headed in a corner, only for referee Jean-Jacques Ndala to rule it out for a foul—a soft decision that infuriated Senegal. Moments later, Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty after VAR review, judging that Brahim Diaz had been fouled by El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The ensuing chaos at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium damaged African football's image. As fans rioted and stewards were carried across the pitch, Senegal players left the field. After a long delay, Sadio Mane helped coax the team back, and Diaz missed his Panenka-style penalty, which Edouard Mendy saved. Senegal won 1-0 in extra time, only for a CAF appeal board to strip them of the title two months later. The case is now at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with Senegal vowing a "crusade" to overturn the decision.

This time, there was no Mendy to rescue them; the former Chelsea goalkeeper was injured and forced to sit out.