That the Senegalese looked only a shadow of their former selves in losing to Turkey should take little away from an astounding World Cup campaign.
Africa can be proud of a team that can now call itself one of the best eight sides in the world.
"We came here small, we left big," said El Hadji Diouf, Africa's Player of the Year.
"To get here was already so great," said right back Ferdinand Coly.
So what was the secret formula? First of all, the team seemed to feel no pressure and never appeared over-awed by their opposition.
There was also a fair share of talent: in the likes of Bouba Diop, El Hadji
Diouf and Khalilou Fadiga, Senegal had some of the tournament's best
Above all, the Lions were successful because Bruno Metsu and his staff were able to foster an atmosphere in which the whole squad pulled in the same direction, both on and off the pitch.
But where do the Lions go from here?
The players are likely to improve still further - Diouf and Salif Diao are
heading to Liverpool and many more are expected to sign big-money deals with top European outfits in the weeks to come.