Senegal 2 Poland 1

I'm sure I've written about it many times over the years, but I'll do a quick one for now.

On the eve of the 2002 World Cup, I placed a £5 bet on Senegal to beat France in the opening game. I had a strong feeling they would and liked the 10/1 on offer.

It turned out to be a winning bet as the defending World Cup champions fell 1-0 in what was an upset.

As soon as the game ended, I walked up to the bookies to cash in my betting slip and was asked by the cashier a silly question.

'Did you really think they would win?'

Why would I bet on them?!?!

Anyway, I've often reminded myself of that match whenever I've fancied an underdog in a sporing event.

The reason why I'm reminded of that game today is because in my World Cup bets, where I've placed £1 correct score bets on all of the group games, I took Senegal to beat Poland 2-1.

The odds were 11/1, so I didn't return as much as sixteen years ago. I did have a smile on my face when the final whistle blew, though. Why? Because I know that - the next time I recount the 2002 World Cup opener story - I know I'll end up having to add today's chapter to the story.