RESULTS:
Senegal 2 Ecuador 1
The Netherlands 2 Qatar 0
England 3 Wales 0
Iran 0 USA 1
Kalidou Koulibaly scored a vital second-half goal for Senegal to beat Ecuador 2-1 on Tuesday (November 29) at the ongoing FIFA World Cup Finals in Qatar.
The victory over Ecuador ensured Senegal, the African champions and one of the five nations representing the continent in Qatar, booked their place in the knockout round-of-16 stage where they will take on England, the Group B winners.
The Senegalese national team nicknamed Lions of Teranga, finished second in Group A after beating hosts Qatar 3-1 and Ecuador 2-1. They lost 0-2 to The Netherlands, who topped Group A with seven points.
It is the first time since 2002 for Senegal to reach the last-16 at the World Cup Finals. Coincidentally, Senegal’s coach Aliou Cisse was part of the Lions of Teranga that played in the round-of-16 in the 2002 World Cup Finals hosted by Japan and South Korea.
In the Group B games played Tuesday night, England thrashed Wales 3-0, with Marcus Rashford scoring twice and Phil Foden getting the other goal. That means England topped the group with seven points, having defeated Iran (6-0) and drew 0-0 in the earlier games.
The USA beat Iran 1-0, thanks to Christian Pulisic’s first-half goal, to finish runners-up in the group and will take on The Netherlands in the round-of-16 tie.
