Lions players rule in France

Pape Sarr was at St. Etienne for 6 years before going to Lens

Senegal's footballers are showing that their qualification for the World Cup was no flash-in-the-pan.

Three of the most influential Lion's players are maintaining their World Cup form at RC Lens and have helped push the club into a commanding position at the top of the French league.

Senegal's superb 5-0 victory over Namibia in the last round of qualifying confirmed their place at Japan and Korea 2002 - the country's first World Cup finals.

It is a feat which still inspires Lens' Senegalese trio of El Hadj Diouf, Pape Sarr and Ferdinand Coly.

"People in Senegal were as happy as if we'd won the World Cup," said Diouf, who scored eight goals in qualifying - including two hat-tricks.

"All that happiness back home we tried to bring back with us when we returned to Lens," he added.

And they certainly appear to be doing something right.

El Hadj Diouf - a hero for Senegal and Lens

Lens is the only team in the French first division with three wins out of three games.

Coach content

Sarr and Diouf have played their part by scoring a goal each.

But coach Joel Muller is keen to point out that their good start is not just down to their Senegalese contingent.

"Let's make it clear that they did not win those games by themselves," he told soccer magazine France Football.

"But I told myself that if they were still playing at the same level as they did for Senegal, they would bring a lot to the team."

Lens 2-0 victory over Olympique Marseille also had a Senegalese connection, albeit not a direct one.

Both goals were scored by Lamine Sakho, whose father was a Senegalese international.

Sakho took French citizenship and is now an under-21 international.