Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara needed comforting by team-mates after giving away the extra-time penalty which saw Senegal knocked out of the World Cup

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In the city famous for giving us rock legends Nirvana, Senegal contrived a way to slip from a blissful state back into football hell in Seattle.

The parallels between the Teranga Lions' last-gasp World Cup exit and January's Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final, in which they were also infuriated by a controversial late penalty awarded following the intervention of the video assistant referee, are mind-blowingly similar.

This time, thankfully, no one walked off the field as they lost 3-2 to Belgium after Youri Tielemans converted from the spot in the 125th minute.

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But coach Pape Thiaw must surely feel a growing kinship with Sisyphus, the character from Greek mythology's underworld doomed forever to pitch all his efforts into rolling a giant rock up a hill, only to see it crash down again just as he thinks he has reached the pinnacle.

"We had the game in hand," Thiaw lamented afterwards, before noting it felt "cruel" to ultimately see success slip through their fingers.

Latest ever winner, comeback and controversy - Senegal's remarkable exit

For most of this match, Thiaw's team played a heavenly game, cruising into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Premier League stars Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.

Crystal Palace forward Sarr has played like an angel for large parts of Senegal's campaign, his second-half effort here a thing of beauty as he deftly controlled a long ball forward on his chest before smashing past Thibaut Courtois.

That goal of the tournament contender meant the 28-year-old equalled Roger Milla's African record of four strikes at a World Cup, which the Cameroon legend registered at Italia 90.

📰 Source: BBC Africa