Senegal put in a stellar performance in their second Group A match in the ongoing World Cup to beat the hosts Qatar 3-1, thereby keeping their hopes of progression out of the group stage alive after losing 0-2 in the first match against the Netherlands.
The first forty minutes of the encounter saw an even exchange between the hosts and their African opponents, with nothing to separate them until Boulaye Dia struck in the 41st minute to give Senegal the opener and a 1-0 lead at halftime.
Shortly on resumption in the second half, Famara Diedhiou latched on to Ismail Jakob’s assist to beat Barsham Meshaal in goal for Qatar and double the lead to 2-0 in the 48th minute.
It would appear that this was the shot in the arm that the Qatari side needed, as they rallied back into the game. With more vibrancy and urgency added to their play, it was only a matter of time before their efforts yielded results, as Mohammed Muntari headed home from Ismaeel Mohammad’s floated pass, to cut the deficit and bring the scores to 2-1 in the 78th minute.
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However, any hope the hosts had of equalizing was dashed when Bamba Dieng slotted beautifully from Ndiaye’s cutback for his side’s third goal in the 84thminute, to finish the game at 3-1 in their favor.
The convincing win, which condemns Qatar to ouster at this stage irrespective of the outcome of their next match, however, keeps Senegal’s hope alive in the group, as they are expected to go all out against Ecuador in their last match if they are to make it beyond the group stage.
