With two victories and a defeat, Senegal placed second in Group A at the current competition in Qatar, trailing only the Netherlands. Senegal defeated Ecuador 2-1 on Tuesday to advance to the round of 16 of a FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014.
Senegal took the lead after Ismaila Sarr converted a penalty kick in the 44th minute, but Ecuador tied the score in the 67th. Three minutes later, Kalidou Koulibaly’s header restored Senegal’s lead, which it was able to maintain until the final siren.
With two wins and a loss, African champion Senegal finished behind the Netherlands in second place in Group A at the ongoing edition in Qatar. In the round of 16 fixture, Senegal will face the Group B topper.
Four years ago at the World Cup in Russia, Senegal had missed out on a spot in the knockouts in heartbreaking fashion as it became the first team to be eliminated based on disciplinary record after finishing joint-second with Japan during the group stage on points, goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head record.
Senegal made its World Cup debut in 2002 when it shocked the then-defending champion France 1-0 in its first group match. It eventually lost 0-1 to Turkey in the quarterfinals of the edition, hosted by South Korea and Japan. Interestingly, Aliou Cisse, the current coach of the national side, was the captain of the 2002 squad.
The African nation, nicknamed ‘Lions of Teranga,’ had to wait for 16 years before it finally managed to qualify for its second World Cup in 2018.
