Diop and a team-mate celebrate a famous win (Allsport)

By Neal Collins

Click here for France v Senegal match report

Pak Do Ik. Francois Oman Biyik. Pape Bouba Diop.

No, my keyboard hasn't got goo in it.

Those are the complicated, treble-barrelled names of the World Cup's greatest shock troops.

North Korea's Pak Do Ik saw off the mighty Italians with the only goal at Middlesbrough's Ayresome Park in June, 1966.

Cameroon's Francois Oman Biyik got the goal which defeated holders Argentina 1-0 in the opening game of Italia '90 at Milan's stunned San Siro stadium.

And on Friday in Seoul, after a soulless opening ceremony, 62,561 people witnessed another one of those classic World Cup shocks when Senegal midfielder Pape Bouba Diop (not to be confused with his team-mate Papa Malick Diop) scored the only goal against the holders France in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup.

The French, strangely muted in defeat, looked like they were suffering after the rigours of a long season.

Thierry Henry , Patrick Vieira and Sylvain Wiltord have just clinched the 'double' for Arsenal, a challenge so daunting that team-mate Robert Pires was too knackered to make it to Korea.

Emmanuel Petit, Fabien Barthez and even Youri Djorkaeff were forced to compete to the bitter end in the Premiership too.

And it showed yesterday.

Lethargic? Over-confident? Perhaps. But tired too. Exhausted by a winter in England.

The Republic of Ireland, Denmark and Sweden, along with England, are all over-burdened with British-based players which makes you wonder - will they all under-achieve too?

Of course it's too early to write off France, the World Cup and European Championship holders, just yet.

Argentina bounced back from their opening defeat against nine-man Cameroon 12 years ago to reach the final, and there's no reason to think France can't do the same.

With Zinedane Zidane back from his thigh injury for Thursday's game against Uruguay, salvation is at hand.

And that striking duo of David Trezeguet and Thierry Henry – who both hit the woodwork on Friday - is bound to click soon.

But what of Senegal? Will they go the way of North Korea in 66?

They led 3-0 against Portugal in the quarter-finals of 1966 before Eusebio went on the rampage to turn things around in a 5-3 thriller.

Then they went home to obscurity.

Cameroon, of course, went on to the quarter-finals in 1990, where two Gary Lineker penalties for England denied Roger Milla's men a deserved place in the last four.

And I reckon Senegal can do the same, equalling Africa's best ever by reaching the last eight.

If they come second in Group A, they'll probably play Argentina in the last 16, if they win the group, they'll have England or Sweden.... or Nigeria, the Group F runners-up.

Yes, it will be tough to progress beyond there.

But consider this. Four of the Senegalese, African Player of the Year El Hadji Diouf, perhaps their greatest player apart from Dakar-born Patrick Vieira, top defender Ferdinand Coly, substitute Pape Sarr and Friday's hero Papa Bouda Diop, played for French runners-up Lens last season.

When the 'fantastic four 'went off to the African Nations Cup, where they were beaten on penalties by Cameroon's Indomitable Lions in the final, Lens went three games without a win, a run which eventually saw Lyon pip them to the title.

Not surprisingly, Senegal hats outsell French berets in Lens.

And in that grim little mining town in northern France, this upset will have been less surprising than it was in the rest of a stunned Europe.

Last year, Lens' home ground, the Stade Felix Bollaert, even hosted a Senegal international against Japan, which the Africans won 2-0.

Senegal, who saw off heavily fancied Morocco to qualify, were not quite the underdogs we were led to believe.

Their president Abdoulaye Wade said before the game: "No problem, we'll win."

And El Hadji Diou, the 21-year-old wanted by Liverpool (and just about everyone else after Friday's display) said after the game: "I think all of Africa and Senegal will be happy with this.

"Nobody had confidence in us but I did.''

Coach Bruno Metsu – a 48-year-old from France (where else, all the Senegal players are based there) kept in touch with reality, growling: "It's no use beating the world champions unless you do well afterwards.

"The players have to believe now they can go through to the next round."

In Africa, Senegal's footballers are known as the Teranga Lions.

Teranga? No it doesn't mean Fearless, Indomitable, Quite Nasty or even Cross-Eyed. Terange means "warm and welcoming".

It's time to ditch the nickname lads!