Goal looks at the players who dazzled all too briefly on the biggest international stage

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  Asamoah Gyan

  Ghana were so very close in 2010. Had it not been for the truly despicable actions of Luis Suarez, Gyan and his team-mates would have become the very first African team ever to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. Gyan was central to their push, leading the line, scoring three goals – two were penalties – but his tournament ended in heartbreak, as Gyan hit the bar in the last-minute of their clash with Uruguay. His career never truly recovered.

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  El-Hadji Diouf

  Selected in the FIFA All-Star Team after the 2002 World Cup, Diouf was truly brilliant for Senegal in South Korea and Japan. After inspiring his country to a remarkable 1-0 win over France – Diouf set up Papa Bouba Diop’s winning goal – Diouf also laid on goals against Uruguay and Sweden. Ultimately, Senegal were knocked out by Turkey in the quarter-finals, and Diouf went on to become one of the most vilified figures in English football at Liverpool.

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  Oleg Salenko

  Prior to the 1994 World Cup, Salenko had not scored for Russia. He netted once from the penalty spot against Sweden, warming himself up rather nicely for an encounter with Cameroon. Nobody saw what was coming, but Salenko scored five times as Russia won 6-1. As a result, he shared the Golden Boot with Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov, despite Russia failing to progress past the group stage. He never played for his country again, and retired at the age of 31 due to weight issues.

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  Salif Diao

  Along with El-Hadji Diouf, Diao was a key part of Senegal’s Earth-shattering win over France, and also scored in the later group stage clash with Denmark, though joy quickly turned sour as he was sent off for a high boot. His displays led to a move to Liverpool, but he was unable to replicate his international form at Anfield and quickly faded from the public consciousness.