Captain Kalidou Coulibaly scored a goal in the second half to lead Senegal to a 2-1 victory over Ecuador, and the African team qualified for the round of sixteen in the FIFA World Cup for the second time in its history, on Tuesday.
Coulibaly scored his goal in the 70th minute, three minutes following Moses Caicedo canceled Ismaila Sarr’s goal from a penalty kick in the first half, raising Senegal’s balance to six points in second place in Group A, one point behind leaders Netherlands, who beat host Qatar 2-2. zero.
Ecuador, who needed a draw to qualify for the round of 16 for the second time following 2006, finished third with four points, following a match played amidst the restless drumbeats of Senegal fans.
Senegal, who reached the quarter-finals in 2002 in their first World Cup appearance, will face the leaders of Group B, which includes England, Iran, the United States and Wales.
Diagonal fall
In the other group match, the Netherlands qualified for the final price, leading Group A, with an easy 2-0 victory over hosts Qatar, who suffered their third consecutive defeat.
Striker Cody Jacobo put the Netherlands in front with a low shot following penetrating deep into the defense in the 26th minute, to score his third goal in a row and equal with French Kylian Mbappe and Ecuadorean Enner Valencia in the top scorers.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Young doubled the lead from close range five minutes into the second half, taking advantage of Memphis Depay’s rebound shot from goalkeeper Meshaal Barshim.
The Netherlands raised its score to seven points to secure the summit, while Qatar was the first to leave the tournament already since the last round.
