Five countries are representing Africa at the 2018 Fifa World Cup that got underway in Russia Thursday. Collectively, the continent has just three quarterfinal appearances (Cameroon at Italia '90; Senegal at South Korea & Japan 2002; Ghana at South Africa 2010) to show as gold standards at the flagship football tournament.
Needless to say, making the last four in Russia will be the primary aim of -- in no particular order -- Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Nigeria. The quintet will no doubt go to punishing lengths to prove their worth, but could well find the going ominous. While this remains a disappointing mystery to some, to others more it is excruciatingly obvious why odds being offered by bookmakers are below average. African players are still light years behind their South American and European opposite numbers.
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