Has Africa become a "hindrance" at the World Cup ?
Traditionally, African teams have been underestimated at the FIFA World Cup. While no African team has ever won or reached the final in the previous 22 World Cups, their steady progress on the world football map has gradually changed perceptions of their ability to compete at the planet's biggest tournament.
Take Morocco as an example. Four years ago in Qatar, the African champions became the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals. In this tournament, they are once again considered one of the strongest teams among the 48 participating teams, capable of repeating that achievement – or even going further.
Their opening match performance against Brazil – five-time world champions – further reinforced that belief. The "Atlas Lions" held Brazil to a 1-1 draw and were even considered to have played better than the most successful team in World Cup history.
Morocco's rise reflects the steady progress of African teams at the World Cup over the years.
From Roger Milla's Cameroon becoming the first African team to reach the quarter-finals in 1990 after defeating defending champions Argentina in their opening match, to Senegal repeating their feat in their first appearance in 2002 by beating defending champions France on their way to the quarter-finals, or Ghana narrowly missing the 2010 World Cup semi-final by a heartbreaking penalty shootout against Uruguay – African teams have consistently proven they are capable of going deep in the World Cup.
With the World Cup expanding to 48 teams and featuring a record 10 African representatives, the continent has come to North America in greater numbers than ever before. Besides Morocco, many other teams have shown they are not just there to "play second fiddle."
Although the tournament has only just begun, African teams have already produced several notable surprises. Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha delivered an outstanding performance against Spain, helping his team secure a 0-0 draw in their historic World Cup debut. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of Congo impressed with a 1-1 draw against title contenders Portugal.
In fact, considering the overall course of the match, the Democratic Republic of Congo might even regret not securing all three points, as they played better for most of the game and created numerous dangerous opportunities against Cristiano Ronaldo's team.
Egypt also caused a surprise by drawing 1-1 with Belgium – the team that finished third in the 2018 World Cup. Meanwhile, Ivory Coast marked their return to the World Cup after 12 years with a 1-0 victory over Ecuador thanks to a late goal, a very impressive result considering Ecuador finished second in the South American qualifying round behind Argentina.
Ghana also started their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama, although the winning goal came in injury time. Senegal could also have won their opening match as they troubled France – the reigning runners-up and top contender – with several shots hitting the crossbar, but ultimately lost due to Kylian Mbappé's brilliant brace.
Although Algeria, South Africa, and Tunisia all lost their opening matches, their chances of progressing are not yet ruled out. South Africa even showed signs of a comeback by drawing 1-1 against the Czech Republic in their second match.
Overall, among the 10 African representatives, 2 teams won, 4 drew, and 4 lost in the first round of matches. However, those numbers do not fully reflect the overall picture.
The impact that African teams have made against the "giants" of world football shows that they came to North America determined to assert their position. More importantly, they proved that they are fully capable of competing on equal footing with the strongest teams.
Names like Ismael Saibari, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Vozinha, Emam Ashour, Ibrahim Mbaye, Fares Chaïbi, and Yoane Wissa have begun to make their mark, becoming prominent figures in the tournament. These performances further raise expectations for African football and reinforce the belief that the continent can surpass past World Cup achievements, although the toughest challenges still lie ahead.
Source: https://danviet.vn/da-den-luc-chau-phi-toa-sang-tai-world-cup-d1436642.html
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