Senegal beat Ecuador 2-1 and moved on to the knockout stage for the first time since 2002. Sarr won a penalty just before halftime after Hincapie collided with him, and he calmly stepped up to put it home.
The Lions of Teranga sat back after taking the lead, giving Ecuador space to level the game. After halftime, Ecuador came out strong. Caicedo scored from close range off a corner kick to tie the game, but Senegal took the lead back in just two and a half minutes.
Senegal’s Kalidou Koulibaly then sent the African champions to the knockout stage, hitting the game-winning goal to secure the victory and second place in Group A. Idrissa Gueye’s beautiful free kick toward the box was deflected to Koulibaly, who was unmarked. Koulibaly hit a fantastic volley past Galindez to make it 2-1, and Senegal became the first African country to make it to the knockout stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
With passage to the knockout stage in mind, Aliou Cisse made three changes to the team that defeated Qatar in the previous match. Sarr made his 50th appearance for Senegal, as were Ciss, Pape Gueye, and Ndiaye. Nampalys Mendy, Diatta, and Diedhiou were benched.
While Gueye was once again instrumental for the Lions in a crucial match, he will not play in the Second Round as he picked up a second yellow card for a shoulder barge, which will now result in a suspension.
With Senegal’s victory over Ecuador, Africa has now won four matches in the ongoing World Cup, a record for the continent in the group stage.
In the other group match, the Netherlands easily won, securing a knockout stage ticket with first place in Group A. Meanwhile, Qatar created unwelcome history by becoming the first host nation to exit the tournament after losing all of its group games.