After finishing second in their group, the Teranga Lions of Senegal will face England in the last-16 rounds of the World Cup on December 4, 2022, at Al Bayt Stadium. This will be the first time England and Senegal have met.
Senegal’s iconic striker Sadio Mane was ruled out of the World Cup before it even began, after suffering an injury while playing for Bayern Munich. Despite this, the African Cup of Nations champions, Senegal advanced from the group stage, winning two and drawing one of their three games.
They were unlucky in their opening match against the Netherlands, holding out for more than 80 minutes before the Dutch won with two late goals.
Senegal escaped a fright against Qatar in their second encounter. After gaining a two-goal lead, the hosts threatened to stun with a goal in 78 minutes. Senegal, however, responded six minutes later to end the game.
The Teranga Lions fought hard in their final group game against Ecuador. Senegal took the lead on a penalty by Ismaila Sarr, but was pegged back by a goal by Moises Caicedo. Senegal responded quickly, and Kalidou Koulibaly’s brilliant volley won the game and put Senegal in the last 16 of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate’s England team qualified for the knockout stages with a 3-0 win over Wales on November 29.
The Three Lions kicked off their competition with a 6-2 thrashing of Iran, followed by an uninspiring tie with the United States. The victory over the Welsh, on the other hand, assures that they finish first in Group B.
The Three Lions needed only a point against Wales in their last group game to secure the top spot in Group B, and they did so against Rob Page’s team.
A double from Marcus Rashford and a goal from Phil Foden clinched the victory and first position, with the USA finishing two points behind.