Saturday | November 26, 2022
Qatar became the first country to be eliminated out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after going down 2-0 against Senegal yesterday. They are at the base without a single point after two losses.
Boulaye Dia gave Senegal a lead on 41st minute in the first half and Tamara Diehiou netted the insurance goal in the 48th minute of the second half. When it seemed all over with Qatar, Mohammed Montari reduced the deficit in the 78th minute to give the home side a glimmer of hope. At 2-1 scoreline, the host nation had something to play for.
However, Bamba Dieng snuffed life out of the Qataris when he made the score 3-1 six minutes after the Qatar’s only goal in this tournament so far.
The Qataris will only participate in the 52nd edition of the World Cup by merely hosting the global tournament. Nothing more.
The Senegal win is a massive boost to its chance to progress to the knockout stage. Positioned 3rd in Group A means that the Senegalese need to beat Ecuador in their last game.
Netherlands tops the group with four points from a win and a draw. Similarly, Ecuador carry the same points from a win and a draw. Both the Netherlands and Ecuador collected maximum points from Qatar.
Therefore, Netherlands, Ecuador and Senegal can go to the next elimination phase of the World Cup depending on what happens in their last games. Senegal sent Qatar packing with that resounding victory to gain a life line in this competition.
Qatar plays its last game against a talented Netherlands squad. On paper, they will be lucky to escape with a draw, much less a win. Should Qatar master a surprise win against all expectations, the results will be insignificant for the hosts but for Netherlands a loss may have dire consequences.
Friday | Nov. 25 FIFA World Cup Results:
Group B: Wales 0-2 Iran
Group A: Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador
Group B: England 0-0 United States of America
Saturday | Nov. 26 FIFA World Cup Fixtures:
Group D: Tunisia vs Australia at Al Janoub Stadium (Al-Wakrah) – 12h00
Group C: Poland vs Saudi Arabia at Education City Stadium (Ar Rayyan) – 15h00
Group D: France vs Denmark at Stadium 974 (Doha) – 18h00
Group C: Argentina vs Mexico Lusail Stadium (Lusail) – 21h00