After 20 years of anguish, Senegal are finally through to the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 and they did it in emphatic style after skipper Kalidou Koulibaly netted the winner in a thoroughly deserved 2-1 win over Ecuador in a match staged at the Khalifa International Stadium.The last time Senegal made it out of the Group Stages was back in the 2002 edition where they cruised all the way to the quarter-finals becoming only the third African country to have made it that far after Cameroon (1990) and Ghana (2010).Cameroonian outcast plays the incident down: The nation first and foreverNeeding a win to secure their progression to the Round of 16, Senegal started the game like a house on fire and took just three minutes to conjure their first chance when the ball found itself at the feet of Idrissa Gueye but the Everton midfielder’s shot went just wide.##NAJAVA_MECA_6854002##It was one-way traffic in the first half as Senegal dominated proceedings and went close again in the 23rd minute, this time Ismailia Sarr cut in from the left but his curling effort narrowly missed the mark.Ecuador failed to heed the warning signs as Sarr drove in from the blind side and got a crucial touch to the ball before Piero Hincapié plowed onto him as the referee Clement Turpin immediately pointed to the spot.In the absence of Sadio Mane who was unfortunate to suffer an injury before the World Cup, Sarr was trusted with the spot-kick duties and had the nerve to nonchalantly dispatch the penalty to the bottom right corner, leaving goalkeeper Hernan Galíndez rooted to the spot.After the feisty first half, the opening stages of the closing half failed to maintain the frenetic tempo as both teams struggled to create chances with Senegal dropping deep in a bid to defend their lead.✅JOB DONE!On to the round of 16. 🏆2 🇸🇳 VS 🇪🇨 1#SenEcu #Senegal #FIFAWorldCupQatar2022 @FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ErOvkF7SBd— Football Senegal (@FootballSenegal) November 29, 2022 The South Americans however continued to press their foot on the gas for an equalizer and were rewarded for their efforts in the 68th minute when Felix Torres whipped in a sumptuous free kick that was flicked on to Moises Caicedo who tapped the ball in from close range.Great player and a supersized vain: CR7 puts enormous effort into proving he scored, but Adidas tarnish him with one crucial proofEcuador’s lead did not last for long as a free kick on the other end that was deflected off Hincapié and found its way to skipper Kalidou Koulibay who stabbed the ball into the back of the net to restore his side’s lead after just two minutes.Aliou Cissé’s men held on for the lead, withering the wave after wave of Ecuador’s attack and sealing a place in the last 16 where they will meet the winner of Group B that is currently being held by England who still have a match to play.Tuesday matches8.00 Wales 4.30 England 1.484.00 Iran 3.30 USA 2.10*Odds are subject to change*
