DOHA: Ecuador failed to make it to the knockouts following their narrow 2-1 defeat against Senegal, while the Netherlands thrashed hosts Qatar 2-0 to make it to the Round 16 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.
The Netherlands, needing just one point to qualify for the Round of 16, bagged three following an emphatic victory over struggling hosts Qatar and topped the Group A standings with seven points.
The key player Cody Gakpo scored again for the Netherlands in the 29th minute to put them in command of the one-sided affair. Gakpo’s goal against Qatar marked his third goal in as many group matches.
Briefly, after the break, Frenkie de Jong doubled Netherlands’ lead over the hosts, sustained till the final whistle as Luis van Gaal’s side cruised through.
Hosts Qatar, already eliminated from the qualification race, bagged another unwanted record as they became the first home side in World Cup to finish the group stage without a point.
Netherlands’ impressive run led them to top Group A and will now face the second-placed team from Group B in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Netherlands’ dominant victory over Qatar, meant that only a win would take Senegal into the knockouts and a draw would see Ecuador cruising.
Senegal, however, were already in command of the match as they were leading Ecuador 2-1 in the extra time and put on a defiant show to bar the latter side from netting an equalizer.
Despite some desperate attempts from Ecuador in the extra time, Senegal held their composure and ran away with a 2-1 triumph and booked their spot in the Round of 16.
Senegal opened the scoring in the first half, courtesy of a late first-half penalty by Ismaila Sarr. However, despite holding Ecuador’s skipper Enner Valencia dormant throughout, the South American side still managed to score an equalizer as Moises Caicedo scored in the 67th minute.
Following the equalizer, Senegal’s captain Kalidou Koulibaly stood up for his team and took just three minutes to put his team up front again as he sent the ball crashing into the nets.
The victory powered Senegal to finish second in Group A with six points and will next face the Group B topper in the Round of 16.
READ: PAK vs ENG: Naseem Shah opens up on comparison with James Anderson
