By James Copnall BBC Sport, Dakar

Diouf is ready to play leading role

His touch was sublime, his passing showed vision and his creative skills provided chance after chance for his team-mates.

Above all, Diouf scored a goal, his first for Senegal since a February 2002 Nations Cup quarterfinal against Congo Democratic Republic.

That 16-month drought was the longest in Diouf's career at any level - and lead many to doubt whether the peroxide blond would ever regain his scoring touch.

In the 3-1 win over Gambia Diouf, proved his doubters wrong and in style, too.

I will play anywhere the coach asks me, even left back or in goal Senegal striker - EL Hadji Ousseynou Diouf

Picking up Liverpool colleague Salif Diao's smooth pass 35 metres out, Diouf advanced on Pa Demba Touray before sending the ball shooting past the Gambian keeper and into the corner of the net.

It looked the goal of a man at the top of his game, but Diouf's reaction showed just how much he needed it.

The striker ran towards his Senegal team-mates, then towards the touchline to hug the coaching staff, before posing in front of the photographers for what seemed like minutes on end.

The goal seems to mark the end of a dark period for Diouf.

The African footballer of the year has proved critics wrong

Not only was he not scoring at international level, but he was struggling at Liverpool, the club who bought him for �10 million last summer.

Pushed out onto the right wing for club and country, Diouf's form was mediocre, and his much-publicised spitting incident in a UEFA Cup match against Celtic did little to boost his reputation.

By the end of the season, Diouf had convinced Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, and Saturday's goal re-emphasises his worth to the Lions.

Saturday's goal came in a game in which Lions' coach Guy Stephan restored Diouf to the position where he made his name: centre forward.

It was at the point of the Lions attack that Diouf scored the eight goals in five games that took Senegal to the World Cup.

Now his goal, from the central striker's position, seems to have taken the Lions to Tunisia 2004.

"I will play anywhere the coach asks me, even left back or goalkeeper," Diouf is fond of saying.