World Cup 2022: Reasons for Senegal to be confident of beating Netherlands

While they were relative unknowns during that last Asian World Cup in 2002, this time around they travel to the continent highly regarded and having won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in their history earlier this year.

However, they have been dealt a huge blow in the build-up to the tournament with the news that Ballon d'Or runner-up, national icon and team talisman Sadio Mane has been ruled out of the whole World Cup.

Here, Sports Mole look at some reasons for them to be confident of picking up a positive result against the Netherlands despite Mane's absence.

Unbeaten record

While Monday's match will be the first-ever meeting between Senegal and Netherlands, the African nation do have past experience of playing against European sides on the grandest stage.

In three previous group games against European opposition at the World Cup, Senegal have won twice and drawn once, most famously beating France in the 2002 opener in South Korea - their first-ever World Cup game.

They then went on to draw with Denmark in their next match and also beat Sweden in the round of 16, before their dream run was ended by Turkey after extra time in the quarter-finals.

Four years ago in Russia, Senegal beat Poland in their opening game, so they also have more recent experience of overcoming European opposition at the World Cup.

Fast starters

Admittedly, Senegal's history of opening matches at World Cups is a relatively short one, but it is also a perfect one.

That famous 1-0 win over France - the defending world and European champions - in 2002 goes down as one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, with Papa Bouba Diop scoring the only goal of the game.

Despite their run to the quarters of that competition, it was 16 years before Senegal returned to the World Cup stage, but they made it two wins from two with a 2-1 victory over Poland.

A Thiago Cionek own goal gave them the lead in that match before M'Baye Niang doubled the advantage on the hour mark, before Grzegorz Krychowiak pulled one back for Poland late on.

Major tournament experience

Senegal's World Cup experience pales in comparison to Netherlands, of course, but they have been building their experience at the top level ever since that memorable debut in 2002.

That culminated in the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year as they finally picked up their first piece of silverware, beating Egypt in the final to be crowned continental champions.

This winter sees them appear in successive World Cups for the first time, and their manager Aliou Cisse has been involved in all three of their previous campaigns - as a player in 2002 and a manager in 2018 and 2022.

Cisse played in four games at the 2002 edition of the tournament, before taking charge of all three games four years ago in Russia.