Senegal, Dutch advance to last 16; host Qatar drops all 3 of its matches
AL RAYYAN, QATAR — Senegal can now put the disap- pointment of 2018 to rest.
Kalidou Koulibaly led his team into the last 16 of the World Cup on Tuesday by volleying home the win- ning goal in a 2-1 victory over Ecuador, four years after the African champi- ons were eliminated from the group stage because of the amount of yellow cards they received.
The Senegal captain’s right-footed shot flashed past Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez in the 70th minute. Koulibaly sprinted toward the corner flag and slid on his knees to cele- brate.
The result erased lingering memories from four years ago, when Senegal could only draw its last group game in Russia and missed the knockout stage because it had col- lected more yellow cards than Japan, which advanced instead.
In another must-win match in Qatar, Senegal took the lead after a firsthalf penalty from Ismaila Sarr. Moises Caicedo then scored for Ecuador to make it 1-1 in the 67th.
cuador would have advanced from Group A with a draw and Senegal would have been eliminated.
EThe Netherlands 2, Qatar 0
AL KHOR, QATAR — The Netherlands finished off the worst showing by any World Cup host nation by beating Qatar 2-0 on Tuesday.
The Dutch advanced to the round of 16 by winning Group A while the Qataris, who were already eliminated, became the first host to lose all three of its group matches at soccer’s biggest event.
Cody Gakpo put the Netherlands ahead midway through the first half with his third goal in as many matches and Frenkie de Jong doubled the advantage five minutes into the second half.
The Netherl nds is a three-time runner-up at the World Cup, and also finished third in 2014, while Qatar was making its tournament debut.
The Dutch failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
The Netherlands finished with seven points at the top of the group. Senegal, which beat Ecuador 2-1 in the other group game, advanced in second place with six points. Ecuador was eliminated with four points and Qatar ended with zero. The attendance at Al Bayt Stadium, which also hosted Qatar’s loss to Ecuador in the tournament opener, was given as 66,784 — nearly at full capacity.
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