Sports
World Cup 2022: Maneless Senegal Beats Ecuador, Qualifies to Round of 16 -By Shereefdeen Ahmad
Ismaïla Sarr put the Lions of Teranga at the driver’s seat in the brink of the first-half with a penalty. Having earned the spot-kick himself following a foul by defender Piero Hincapie, Sarr left goalkeeper Hernan Galindez rooted to put the ball at the back of the net.
Senegal have booked a spot in the ongoing 2022 World Cup in Qatar after claiming a deserved 2-1 victory over Ecuador on Tuesday at the Khalifa International Stadium, thanks to goals from Ismaïla Sarr and Kalidou Koulibably.
The Lions of Teranga, who are without their main talisman, Sadio Mane finished second in the group A with six points, one point behind Netherlands who topped the ground following a 2-0 win against the host, Qatar.
Sadio Mane was ruled out of the biggest tournament after picking up an injury at Bayern Munich clash with Wermer Bremen just some days before the campaign began, but that could not stop the reigning African Champions from qualifying to the last 16 for the first time in 20 years.
Ismaïla Sarr put the Lions of Teranga at the driver’s seat in the brink of the first-half with a penalty. Having earned the spot-kick himself following a foul by defender Piero Hincapie, Sarr left goalkeeper Hernan Galindez rooted to put the ball at the back of the net.
Ecuador, who needed a draw to advance to the knockout stage, responded through Moises Caicedo. But, captain Kalidou Koulibaly quickly restored Senegal’s lead to compound the Ecuadorians pressure.
Earlier in the game, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Boulaye Dia had the chances to break the deadlock but send their effort awry.
Senegal became the first African team to qualify to the knockout phase. Other teams that advanced include France, Brazil and Portugal.
