In a World Cup marked by injuries and absences before the ball even started rolling, Senegal suffered one of the hardest blows. A few days after traveling to the Persian Gulf, the current African champion lost her great star. Sadio Mané, injured on November 8 in Bayern Munich’s resounding victory against Bremen (6-1), held out until the last minute, but his physical condition ended up costing Qatar the ticket. A player of international stature, a star for Liverpool and now 30 years old in the Bundesliga, he has left the ‘lions of Teranga’ orphaned, both because of his contribution to the offensive phase of his team and because of the experience and leadership of the. Without his presence, this will fall to the Chelsea player Kalidou Koulibaly, who will have to push the team from his central position. Africans are not new to these events, as this will be their third participation in a World Cup, their best result being the quarterfinals they reached just twenty years ago, at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. Under the direction of Aliou Cissé from the bench they will try to repeat the feat in Qatar, where they open against the Netherlands, a tournament classic with which, however, they have never faced each other. The Europeans, despite having less line-up than in other editions, arrive at this World Cup with the illusion through the roof. First for his sports career, with a streak of 15 unbeaten games, eleven wins and four draws. And secondly for the joy of returning to the World Cup after his notorious absence in Russia 2018. The illusion is not in the starting eleven With Virgil Van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong returning to their best level, they do not have the big stars from other times, but the presence of veteran Louis Van Gaal on the bench guarantees competitiveness. Although the greatest illusion is provided by a rookie of just 19 years: Xavi Simons. The former Barcelona player emigrated from his lower categories first to PSG and then to PSV to find space to show off his talent. His resignation from the Barça colors brought him a lot of criticism. He was accused of being impatient, an overrated player or even a YouTube viral product. But time has proved him right and in Eindhoven he has finally found his place. From there he has convinced the Dutch coach, normally predisposed to bet on young talent, to include him in the expedition to the World Cup. Related News standard If Soccer Doha goes through neighborhoods: this is how the soccer powers live the World Cup ABC standard Yes Soccer Journey inside Luis Enrique: this is how the people who lived with him see it José Carlos Carabias standard Yes Soccer Brazil will win the World Cup from Qatar, according to artificial intelligence Rosalía Sánchez standard Yes Numerology – World Cup in Qatar 2022 Mbappé and Vinicius are worth more than anyone Sergi Font Whether or not he starts from the bench, the pearl Simons can contribute a lot to his team, mainly in attack, where they excel differential footballers. Attacking midfielder with a lot of speed, dribbling and goal, he can also boast of a great interpretation of the game and an overwhelming personality despite his youth. That is why many already point to him as one of the great claims of the next windows of the transfer market, although in that he will have a lot to say due to his more or less important role in Qatar. It will be the Al Thumama stadium in Doha (5:00 p.m., Spanish time) that will bring these two teams, Senegal and the Netherlands, face to face with very different moods. Some longing for his great star, and others waiting for his.
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