FIFA recalls the opening match of Korea/Japan 2002, as Senegal toppled reigning world champions France thanks to an iconic Papa Bouba Diop goal.
France 0-1 Senegal
Korea/Japan 2002 | Group A Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul Attendance: 62,561 Senegal goal: Papa Bouba Diop (30)
Teams
France
Coach: Roger Lemerre Starting XI: Fabien Barthez; Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, Frank Leboeuf, Bixente Lizarazu; Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira, Youri Djorkaeff; Sylvain Wiltord, David Trezeguet, Thierry Henry. Substitutions: Christophe Dugarry for Djorkaeff (60), Djibril Cisse for Wiltord (81).
Senegal
Coach: Bruno Metsu Starting XI: Tony Sylva; Omar Daf, Lamine Diatta, Pape Malick Diop, Ferdinand Coly; Aliou Cisse, Salif Diao, Moussa N’Diaye, Papa Bouba Diop, Khalilou Fadiga; El-Hadji Diouf.
Hitherto head-to-head record
France and Senegal had never previously met.
Going into the game
The mood in France could hardly have been more upbeat ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™. The country’s mindset was clear: the reigning world and European champions were off to Asia in pursuit of stitching a second star into their legacy. Before a ball was even kicked, the crown bearers had already featured in a pre-tournament marketing campaign launched by their kit supplier, adidas, which centred around that very objective.
In Les Yeux dans les Bleus 2, a behind-the-scenes look at the team’s journey to the 2002 tournament and a sequel to the 1998 version of the documentary, team captain Marcel Desailly dared to allude to a “dream final” between France and Argentina. When it came to performances on the pitch, however, the pundits were rather more sceptical. After a convincing 4-0 friendly win over Portugal at the Stade de France in April 2001, Les Bleus subsequently started to look somewhat sluggish and lacklustre. Though they secured yet more silverware at the FIFA Confederations Cup Korea/Japan in June 2001 with a relatively new-look line-up, the cracks were nonetheless beginning to emerge.
Following a nip-and-tuck 2-1 win over Romania, a 0-0 draw with Russia and a 2-1 loss to Belgium, the French had hardly enjoyed the most inspiring of starts to the World Cup year. In Suwon on 26 May, just five days before the tournament opener, the European heavyweights laboured to a 3-2 triumph over co-hosts Korea Republic, and lost mercurial midfield maestro Zinedine Zidane to a torn thigh muscle.
Senegal, on the other hand, had reached the final of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, narrowly missing out on continental glory after going down 3-2 on penalties against Cameroon. They had also won two of their three warm-up games, a 2-1 victory over Bolivia in March and a 1-0 triumph over Ecuador in May, either side of a 3-2 defeat to Saudi Arabia.
With a squad largely comprising players who were forging their club careers in the French top flight, the Lions of Teranga were in a particularly roaring frame of mind ahead of Asia’s maiden World Cup. Even so, short of psychic powers, few could have predicted the events that were about to unfold. It was, as El Hadji Diouf later told FIFA, the “greatest result that the tournament has ever seen.”
The game
In the tournament curtain-raiser, Les Bleus’ early control of possession was far from unexpected, but the speed and direct style of the Senegalese kept their illustrious opposition on edge and posed a continuous threat. In the 22nd minute, France striker David Trezeguet carved out the game’s first big chance, hitting the post with a curling effort from just inside the area.
Eight minutes later, Senegal sent shockwaves rippling through Seoul World Cup Stadium. Omar Daf caught Youri Djorkaeff in possession on halfway and swiftly released the electrifying Diouf, who had been unplayable in the contest’s opening throes. Diouf skipped over Frank Leboeuf’s sliding challenge and powered towards goal, before cutting the ball back for a charging Papa Bouba Diop to pounce in the six-yard box. The Lens midfielder’s first effort struck goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, but with Emmanuel Petit backtracking, Diop reacted quickest to fire the ball into the empty net and snatch a surprise lead for his side. What followed was an unforgettable celebration etched into football folklore.
Roger Lemerre’s charges responded by asserting an element of control over proceedings, albeit without asking any serious questions of the Senegal backline before the break. Meanwhile, the West Africans delivered a masterclass in game management, inviting the uninspired French to push forward and looking to punish them with their lightning pace on the counter.
After the interval, the pattern of play followed much the same thread: Bruno Metsu’s men remained resolute whilst France fumbled for supremacy. Trezeguet found space between the central defenders and steered a hopeful header wide from a deep Lilian Thuram cross in the 56th minute.
The African giants stood firm and fashioned some openings of their own, Auxerre’s Khalilou Fadiga crashing a left-footed effort against Barthez’s crossbar just after the hour mark. At the other end, the reigning English Premier League top scorer Thierry Henry struck the woodwork himself with a looping strike from outside the area.
At the final whistle, French TV commentator, Thierry Roland, lamented the outcome as “an unwelcome upset” for the national game, yet “not undeserved”.
Quotes
“I remember our pre-match team talk. Bruno Metsu came into the dressing room and said, ‘What can I say, lads? We’ve been together as a group for some time now, and I know you inside out. You guys are unbelievable. After tonight’s match, people will be talking about us all over the world. Get out there and show me what you can do.’ It was amazing. We didn’t need to talk to each other; he just looked at us and knew what we were capable of doing that day.” El Hadji Diouf, Senegal forward
“It was the performance we all dreamt and thought about, and we went out there and made it happen. That one was for the whole country and the players. We worked so hard, and we’re delighted to have achieved such an incredible feat.” Bruno Metsu, Senegal head coach
“We conceded a bit of a comical goal on the counter. The Senegalese were more clinical than us. We’re really disappointed because it’s a big opportunity missed.” Frank Leboeuf, France defender
“They did what they had to do. We’d have liked to get off to a much better start. It’s up to us to deal with these kinds of scenarios better in the future.” Roger Lemerre, French head coach
Stats
21
Of the 23 members of the Senegal squad, 21 represented French clubs. Only the two substitute goalkeepers, Omar Diallo (Olympique Club de Khouribga, Morocco) and Kalidou Cissokho (Jeanne d’Arc, Senegal), played outside France.
5
Conversely, only five members of the France squad plied their trade for clubs in their homeland: Ulrich Rame and Christophe Dugarry played for Bordeaux, Gregory Coupet was at Lyon, Frank Leboeuf was at Marseille and Djibril Cisse was still with Auxerre.
3
The France squad included the top scorers from three of Europe’s top five leagues in the previous season: Trezeguet was the joint-top scorer in Italy with 24 goals, Henry also hit 24 for Arsenal and Cisse’s 22 goals took him to the top-scorer prize in his homeland. Despite this, France exited at the group stage without finding the net.
Trivia
France’s stumble in 2002 inadvertently initiated a streak of misfortune for defending World Cup winners. Until that tournament, Brazil had been the only title holders to have failed to make it past the first round in the following edition (when they finished third in Group 3 in 1966). But across the five instalments from 2002 to 2018, the only one in which the reigning champions progressed to the Round of 16 was in 2006, when the Seleção made it through before being edged out 1-0 by France in the quarter-finals.
France (2002), Italy (2010), Spain (2014) and Germany (2018) all suffered the unfortunate fate of falling at the first hurdle. However, Les Bleus would ultimately break the very jinx they had started. After lifting the coveted crown at Russia 2018, they avoided the curious curse in 2022, when they finished as runners-up to Argentina.
sources : https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/articles/world-cup-upsets-france-senegal
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