After a four-year reign, the crown has been removed from the champion’s head. France is nowjustoneof 32 teams in this World Cup, albeit one of the favored teams, but also a team that is aging and appears vulnerable on defense. “Our play was rather slow,”Marcel Desailly, the frus-trated French captain, said.

Ifanyteam would not be intimidated by France, it would be Senegal. Twenty of its 23 World Cup players are professionals in France. They know everything about the French players, and have spent their careers trying to emulate their style and success. Even their coach, Bruno Metsu, is French.In fact, the Senegalese players are seen more often in person by French fans than the Frenchnationalteam’sstars,who have scattered for money and opportunity to the leagues in England, Italy and Germany.

On Friday night Tony Sylva, the Senegalese goalkeeper,hadsofthandsandsuperbpositioning. The Lions were strong in the air, decisive and spontaneous and purposeful on the ground.

June 1, 2002. By Jere Longman

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