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Monday, June 17, 2002 - Web posted at 9:46:55 am GMT

DAKAR - Senegal led Africa in a huge whoop of joy yesterday as its team beat Sweden, to become only the second from the continent ever to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

The streets of the capital Dakar were lost under a wave of red, gold and green national colours that topped even the party after Senegal beat the reigning champions and former colonial power, France, in the tournament's opening match.

Some held high the pictures of marabouts - spiritual leaders in the local brand of Islam - thanked for Henri Camara's golden goal in extra time that brought the 2-1 victory over a team that finished on top of the toughest first-round group.

Cars crammed with more supporters and flags than seemed possible hooted in celebration and chased wandering sheep from the roads of dusty suburbs as they jostled towards the jammed traffic at the heart of the city.

A woman who gave birth in the northern town of Matam said she would name her son Henri Camara in honour of the double-scorer.

The celebration stretched from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean across an impoverished continent whose other standard-bearers fell by the wayside in the first round.

"There was a huge shout here after the goal. Everybody is so happy," said Robert Loufimpou, a taxi driver in the Congolese capital of Brazzaville, who was among thousands displaced by fighting that left about 100 dead last week.

"Senegal's result is great for Africa," he said.
Soccer fans in Kenya took to the streets in a noisy party.

About 1 000 of them blocked the highway from Nairobi to the town of Thika singing songs in praise of the conquering Lions of Teranga.

Cameroon, whose team in 1990 became the first African squad to reach the quarter-finals, did not live up to the promise of being African champions.

A superstar-packed Nigerian side failed at the first round,and South Africa and Tunisia were also eliminated.

Suddenly Senegal, playing in the World Cup finals for the first time, has become the footballing capital of a soccer-mad continent and the centre of hopes that they can now beat either Japan or Turkey to reach the semi-finals.

"People who think Africa cannot win the World Cup may soon eat their words, because I see Senegal going all the way. No team can stop them now," said Chukwudi Okeke, a businessman in Nigeria's business hub Lagos. - Nampa-Reuters

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