The drums rolled, the followers danced, and their workforce absorbed their vitality and expended it on the sector. In the tip, Senegal managed to rattle Ecuador with their two objectives to the latter’s one and e book a berth within the World Cup’s spherical of 16.
Aliou Cisse, the Snoop Dogg lookalike on the Senegal bench, used the velocity of Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr within the wings to repeatedly transfer past the highline that Ecuador maintained. Sarr was dogged, working at all times, and the aim got here when Piero Hincapie introduced the Senegal winger down like a Punjab farmer working his sickle via the wheat crop. Moments have been misplaced as Senegal, lacking its common penalty taker Sadio Mane, had a mid-pitch dispute to settle the selection for the essential process. Sarr was entrusted and he stored his cool to brush it past Hernan Galindez, who did his greatest to distract the Watford winger.
Senegal dominated all through and may have been forward by the third minute as Idrissa Gueye discovered a gaping gap within the Ecuadorian defence, however he didn’t maintain his shot heading in the right direction. It was Boulaye Dia who dragged the following one large after Gueye had scurried contained in the field.
Ecuador, although, discovered its equaliser as Moises Caicedo was quite lucky for a flick from a nook to land on his toes and Youssouf Sabaly on the goal-line enjoying him onside. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy might simply be one other onlooker as Caicedo rolled within the aim. The Senegalese response was prompt, and its lead was re-secured two minutes later. A free kick from the appropriate bounced off Enner Valencia, and skipper Kalidou Koulibaly thumped his workforce again within the lead with a swat of the appropriate boot.
Koulibaly’s armband was an homage to Papa Boupa Diop, the scorer of Senegal’s profitable aim over defending champion France in Korea-Japan, who had handed away on November 29 in 2020. And the workforce of 2022 paid him the right tribute by transferring into the knockouts like the category of 2002.
