World Cup 2022: Ecuador 1-2 Senegal – Ismaila Sarr & Kalidou Koulibaly put Afcon champions into last 16

Kalidou Koulibaly's nerveless volley sent Senegal into the World Cup's knockout stages for only the second time in their history as they eliminated Ecuador at a rowdy Khalifa International Stadium.

All three goals came from players based in England as Ecuador's Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo cancelled out a penalty by Watford's Ismaila Sarr before Chelsea defender Koulibaly's side-footer won it.

Ecuador needed just a point to progress but paid the price for a passive display as Senegal were spurred on by an almost non-stop cacophony of drumming from their supporters in Al Rayyan.

Watford winger Sarr coolly stroked home from the spot, after being clumsily upended by Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, to put the African champions deservedly ahead.

Ecuador levelled with their first real chance as Caicedo swept home Felix Torres' flick-on but Koulibaly's composed finish immediately regained the lead for Senegal, who knew only victory would be enough to go through barring an unlikely Qatar upset against the Netherlands.

They held out amid a nervy six minutes of stoppage time to finish as runners-up in Group A behind the Dutch, who clinched top spot by handing the tournament hosts a third defeat in three games with a comfortable 2-0 win in Al Khor.

Aliou Cisse's side are potential last-16 opponents for England given the Lions of Teranga will next face the winners of Group B – a berth Gareth Southgate's team could seal later on Tuesday.

Senegal find goals despite missing Mane

Much has been made of the absence of Senegal talisman Sadio Mane from this tournament through injury but they have found goals from elsewhere, their five thus far in Qatar all coming from different players.

They found swathes of space in and around the Ecuador area early on as the South Americans began nervily but Everton's Idrissa Gueye and Boulaye Dia both dragged excellent opportunities wide.

But Sarr, who had missed his two previous penalties for his club, showed composure from the spot to slot his side in front and their heads did not drop even when Caicedo levelled from a corner.

Victory secured a first last-16 appearance since 2002, when they shocked France in the opening game on their way to the quarter-finals and, before the game, Senegal dedicated their efforts to former Fulham and Portsmouth midfielder Papa Bouba Diop – scorer of the famous winner against the French – who died in 2020 aged 42.

They will, however, be without influential midfielder Gueye, who will miss the second round – and what would have been his 100th cap – after he picked up a second yellow card of the tournament.

Entertaining Ecuador suffer stage fright

Many of Ecuador's players lay prostrate on the pitch at the final whistle, some in tears, devastated at letting slip their chance of progression – like Senegal they had only once previously negotiated the group stages.

They had rightly earned plaudits for their opening two games, having brushed aside Qatar and arguably been the better side in their 1-1 draw with the Dutch – but they failed to reproduce that level of performance under the pressure of a virtual winner-take-all environment.

Boss Gustavo Alfaro risked joint leading World Cup scorer Enner Valencia despite the three-goal forward being taken off on a stretcher late on against the Netherlands, and he failed to make any impact.

The four points they had accrued prior to the game meant Ecuador could play for a draw but they did not look like a side that had kept seven successive clean sheets earlier in 2022 and Senegal took full advantage.

Player of the match

CaicedoMoisés Caicedo

with an average of 8.02

Ecuador

1. Squad number23Player nameCaicedo

   Average rating

   8.02

2. Squad number7Player nameEstupiñán

   Average rating

   7.74

3. Squad number16Player nameSarmiento

   Average rating

   7.39

4. Squad number13Player nameE Valencia

   Average rating

   7.11

5. Squad number24Player nameReasco

   Average rating

   6.56

6. Squad number5Player nameCifuentes

   Average rating

   6.55

7. Squad number2Player nameTorres

   Average rating

   6.47

8. Squad number25Player namePorozo

   Average rating

   6.42

9. Squad number19Player namePlata

   Average rating

   6.37

10. Squad number11Player nameEstrada

    Average rating

    6.35

11. Squad number17Player namePreciado

    Average rating

    6.24

12. Squad number8Player nameGruezo

    Average rating

    6.24

13. Squad number3Player nameHincapié

    Average rating

    6.24

14. Squad number21Player nameFranco

    Average rating

    6.20

15. Squad number1Player nameGalíndez

    Average rating

    6.09

Senegal

1. Squad number13Player nameNdiaye

   Average rating

   7.99

2. Squad number18Player nameSarr

   Average rating

   7.64

3. Squad number3Player nameKoulibaly

   Average rating

   7.52

4. Squad number4Player nameCissé

   Average rating

   7.18

5. Squad number26Player nameGueye

   Average rating

   7.13

6. Squad number16Player nameMendy

   Average rating

   7.11

7. Squad number6Player nameMendy

   Average rating

   7.08

8. Squad number9Player nameDia

   Average rating

   6.90

9. Squad number5Player nameGueye

   Average rating

   6.90

10. Squad number22Player nameDiallo

    Average rating

    6.79

11. Squad number11Player nameCiss

    Average rating

    6.68

12. Squad number21Player nameSabaly

    Average rating

    6.61

13. Squad number14Player nameJakobs

    Average rating

    6.52

14. Squad number20Player nameDieng

    Average rating

    5.84

Line-ups

Ecuador

Formation 4-3-3

1Galíndez

17Preciado2Torres3Hincapié7Estupiñán

21Franco8Gruezo23Caicedo

19Plata11Estrada13E Valencia

• 1Galíndez
• 17PreciadoSubstituted forPorozoat 85'minutes
• 2Torres
• 3Hincapié
• 7Estupiñán
• 21FrancoSubstituted forSarmientoat 45'minutes
• 8GruezoSubstituted forCifuentesat 45'minutes
• 23Caicedo
• 19Plata
• 11EstradaSubstituted forReascoat 64'minutes
• 13E Valencia

Substitutes

• 4Arboleda
• 5Cifuentes
• 6Pacho
• 9Preciado
• 10Ibarra
• 12Ramírez
• 14Arreaga
• 15Mena
• 16Sarmiento
• 18Palacios
• 22Domínguez
• 24Reasco
• 25Porozo
• 26Rodríguez

Senegal

Formation 4-2-3-1

16Mendy

21Sabaly3Koulibaly22Diallo14Jakobs

11Ciss26Gueye

13Ndiaye5Gueye18Sarr

9Dia

• 16Mendy
• 21Sabaly
• 3Koulibaly
• 22Diallo
• 14Jakobs
• 11CissSubstituted forMendyat 74'minutes
• 26Gueye
• 13NdiayeSubstituted forDiengat 75'minutes
• 5GueyeBooked at 66mins
• 18Sarr
• 9DiaSubstituted forCisséat 90+5'minutes

Substitutes

• 1Dieng
• 2Mendy
• 4Cissé
• 6Mendy
• 7Jackson
• 10N'Diaye
• 12Ballo-Touré
• 15Diatta
• 17Sarr
• 19Diédhiou
• 20Dieng
• 23Gomis
• 24Name
• 25Loum

Referee:

Clément Turpin

Attendance:

44,569

Match Stats

Live Text

Post update

Match ends, Ecuador 1, Senegal 2.

Artmotion S.Africa