After five games, no African team have won a match at the ongoing World Cup in Qatar. All five nations from the continent have only managed two goals.
Ghana became the latest African side to lose a game in the competition after Portugal edged them 3-2 on Thursday.
Hours before that, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon slumped 1-0 to European side Switzerland in a Group G tie.
Five teams are representing the continent in Qatar – Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Cameroon, and Ghana. All the teams have played a match so far in the Middle East nation.
Although for the first time, all African nations are being coached by home-grown gaffers, the results are so far not going the continent’s way as they push to surpass the quarter-final ceiling in the competition.
Senegal were the first side from Africa to play in Qatar and they lost to The Netherlands in a Group A tie which was followed by Tunisia’s Group D barren draw against Denmark.
In Group F, Morocco held Croatia to another goalless draw.
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0 – None of the four African teams which have already played in this World Cup have scored (Senegal 🇸🇳, Tunisia 🇹🇳, Morocco 🇲🇦 and now Cameroon 🇨🇲). In the 2018 edition, the five African teams only failed to score on five occasions overall. Silent.#SUICMR #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/3qvrHDBwuZ
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 24, 2022
Overall, African teams have conceded six goals and scored only twice – that was in Ghana’s game.
The recent results, fans fear, may be a foreshadowing of the continent’s performances in the last World Cup.
Four years ago, Africa’s quintet of Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Senegal crashed out in the group stage. Only the Teranga Lions were close to making the round of 16 after garnering four points. They, however, lost the spot to Japan on disciplinary records after accumulating more yellow cards than the Blue Samurai.
Since the competition began, no African side have reached the semi-final. Only three nations – Cameroon, Ghana, and Senegal – have managed something closer by making the last eight of the World Cup.
Cameroon achieved that feat in the 1990 edition, and Senegal did theirs in stunning fashion, beating then-defending champions France in their debut competition en route to the quarter-finals of the 2002 tournament.
Ghana’s Black Stars were the latest nation from Africa to equal that mark when they did so in South Africa twelve years ago.