Senegal beats Poland 2-1, 1st African win at World Cup
MOSCOW — Senegal midfielder Mbaye Niang saw the signal from the referee to re-enter following treatment for an injury and jogged along the centre line. Then Niang noticed Poland’s Grzegorz Krychowiak loft a backpass to Jan Bednarek, who hadn’t realized Niang was back on the field.
Niang outsprinted goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to reach the ball about 40 yards from the net, knocked the ball forward and tapped it in for Senegal’s second fluky goal of the night. The Lions of Teranga held on for a 2-1 win over Poland on Tuesday night and opened the World Cup with a surprising victory — just like in 2002.
“You have to deserve your luck,” Niang said. “We were rewarded today for our work. You have to seize your chances when they are given to you.”
Senegal became the first African team to win at this year’s World Cup after Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia were outscored 6-1 in losses.