If a first major tournament victory at the Africa Cup of Nations was the perfect start to the year for Senegal, a deep run at the World Cup would be a special end to 2022. You could argue that there have only been two teams from Africa to make an impression at a World Cup out of the last five tournaments, but there is something different about this Senegal side, certainly enough to spark hope that they could make a great leap in Qatar.
However, their chances took a huge hit in the build-up to Qatar 2022 with an injury to talisman Sadio Mane ruling him out of the tournament. Mane underwent surgery for a leg injury sustained playing for Bayern Munich in the final game before the World Cup and head coach Aliou Cisse didn’t hide his disappointment at the blow. “It is difficult to replace Sadio Mane,” said Cisse. “He is an extremely important player for our team and we are determined to do what we can without him. We are going to have to work even harder as a team without him. When you talk about the morale, of course it affects you. We are not just talking about the Senegalese people here, people all over the world are saddened by what has happened.”
