YEKATERINBURG, Russia — It is disappointing that in a sport full of African players at the highest level, there are just two African coaches at the World Cup: Aliou Cissé of Senegal and Nabil Maaloul of Tunisia.
Only Cissé’s team has won a game, with Senegal defeating Poland, 2-1, on Tuesday with a performance full of robust defense and contagious enthusiasm.
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Senegal’s president, Macky Sall, who attended the match in Moscow, has since returned home. But bigger opportunities await for Senegal, beginning with Sunday’s top-of-the-group showdown in Yekaterinburg Arena with Japan, whose coach, Akira Nishino, is well aware of the threat and the stakes: The winner of this match will be in an excellent position to qualify for the round of 16.