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Senegal win 2-1 against Poland, on Tuesday June 19, was the first victory of an African team at the 2018 Fifa World Cup, and this is thanks to their Coach Aliou Cissé.
Tuesday’s victory came at a time when many Africans had started losing hope of their chances in the tournament, after all their teams (Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt) had been defeated during their first games.
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Senegal’s win takes us back to the 2002 World Cup campaign in which they defeated France in their opening game.
Aliou Cissé: the last hope for Africa in 2018
In an pre-tournament interview with FIFA, Cissé said: “It’s a source of pride to be able to play a part in this World Cup. In 2002 I was captain and now I’m the coach – I love the idea of being able to pass on my experience and knowledge to these players, so that they understand that every fibre of the Senegal jersey represents a person in that country and in Africa. That, as far as I’m concerned, is an extraordinary privilege.”
7 interesting things to know about Cissé
1. He has previously played for: Ligue 1 with Montpellier, PSG and Lille, English Premier League club Birmingham City and later Portsmouth.
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2. Cissé played as a defensive midfielder and centre back.
3. Cissé, captained Senegal on their remarkable journey through the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, taking his team to the quarter-finals.
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4. Cissé played for Senegal from 1999 to 2005, winning 35 caps for the Lions of Teranga.
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5. He took over as The Lions of Teranga (Les Lions de la Teranga) head coach in 2015.
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6.He became the first person to have been the Captain and Coach of the Lions of Teranga (Senegal).
7. Cissé is the only black manager at Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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Go Lions !!
Source: This Is Africa
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