African teams have so far lost three matches from three starts at the World Cup in Russia. It's now up to Tunisia and Senegal to get the continent's teams back on track.

Luckily for those willing Africa on, both teams have a heritage they can draw on.

Tunisia will forever have a starring role in the history of African football, having recorded the continent's first win in a World Cup in 1978 when it beat Mexico 3-1. Senegal beat then world champion France in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and eventually reached the quarterfinals.

The problem for Tunisia is that the national team has not done much since causing a stir 40 years ago in Argentina. In the three World Cups it has contested since then, Tunisia still hasn't notched a second victory. After meeting England on Monday in Volgograd, Tunisia then takes on Panama, playing in the World Cup for the first time, followed by heavily fancied Belgium.

Senegal, playing in its first World Cup since 2002 when it just failed to make the semifinals after losing to a "golden goal" in extra-time against Turkey, has fairly tricky matches. After taking on Poland on Tuesday in Moscow, its ensuing Group H opponents are Colombia and Japan.

"The groups have landed badly for Africa," Ian Hawkey, the author of the award-winning 2010 book 'Feet of the Chameleon: The Story of African football,' told The Associated Press.

The luck of the draw is clearly part of the story, but there is a sense that African teams have stagnated on the sport's biggest stage, a sense that's only grown after Egypt, Morocco and Nigeria lost their opening games in Russia.

Source: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS