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Senegal bounced back from their opening game defeat against the Netherlands to beat Qatar 3-1 in Group A on Friday.
Boulaye Dia and Famara Diedhiou sent the African champions to a two-goal lead, but Qatar pulled one back – their first-ever World Cup goal – through Mohammed Muntari.
However, Senegal soon allayed any worries about a nerve-racking finish as Bamba Dieng made it 3-1 with six minutes remaining.
Bamba Dieng scored the goal that completed Senegal’s victory against Qatar
Qatar are now eliminated from their own tournament after the Netherlands’ 1-1 draw against Ecuador.
Sports emails Kieran Gill and Sam Brookes have reviewed all players from both sides.
Qatar (5-3-2)
Meshaal Barsham – Tried to get involved at every opportunity in the first half, but his decision making was bizarre at times. He was lucky enough to get away with a flap from a corner, which saw Senegal miss a good chance. 5
Meshaal Barsham came in after missing the first game but looked frantic at times
Pedro Miguel – Seemed to come forward more than against Ecuador, but couldn’t put much quality here. 5
Ismail Mohammed – Got a booking in the first half for a bad challenge. Struggling to keep Dia and Diedhiou at bay. 5
Boualem Khouchi – Made a bad mistake in front of Dia’s goal, failing to clear his lines while under very little pressure. Still reacted well after the break. 5
Khoukhi made the mistake in the first half that Dia used for Senegal’s opening goal
Abdulkarim Hassan – Can’t fault his enthusiasm and he was clearly in the mood for a goal. Sometimes shoots from everywhere, but just didn’t find it. 5
Homa Ahmed – Made some good crosses in the second half, but Sarr also caused him a lot of problems on that flank. 5
Hassan Al Haidous – Had a quiet game and it was no surprise that he was taken away in the second half. 5
Karim Boudaf – Unable to produce much quality in the middle of the park, especially in the first half when Senegal took control. 5
Assim Madibo – A combative midfielder and he earned the crow’s applause early on with a strong tackle. Missed another challenge in the final phase and rightly received a yellow card. 5
Aassim Madibo worked hard, but couldn’t get his team back into the game
Almuz Ali – Came more into the game in the second half and forced Mendy to make a good save. 6
Akram Afif – Qatar seemed most likely to score, so it was a little surprise that he didn’t get the goal. A lively performance and perhaps should have been awarded a penalty in the first half. 6
Put in a tireless performance and perhaps should have been awarded a penalty in the first half
Substitutes
Mohammed Muntari – Excellent header to score Qatar’s first ever World Cup goal. Only a guest appearance, but he managed to make history for his country. 6
Mohammed Muntari (right) scored Qatar’s first ever World Cup goal with a powerful header
Abdulaziz Hatem – N/A
Tarek Salman – N/A
Mohammed Albayati – N/A
Manager
Felix Sanchez – Brought in Muntari who scored, but failed to press Senegal early enough, allowing them to cruise in second gear for large parts. 5
Senegal (4-2-3-1)
Edward Mendy – Made an excellent save to deny Mohamad in the second half. Had little else to do. 6
Youssouf Sabaly – Afif regularly stopped on his side of the pitch, but he handled the Qatar striker well for the most part. 6
Kalidou Koulibaly – Looks better in a Senegal shirt than he has for Chelsea. A solid outing here for the central defender. 6.5
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly was an impressive presence at the back against Qatar
Abdou Diallo – Can play left-back or central defender, making him a useful asset for Senegal. Everything kept simple. 6
Ismail Jacobs – Got a booking for a late challenge, but was largely unaffected by Qatar’s infrequent attacks. 6
Nampalys Mendy – A hardworking display in the middle of the park. Burst forward to have a late try on goal but it flew over the crossbar. 6
Idrissa Gana Gueye – Came close to opening the scoring with a shot from the edge of the box that flew just wide. Looked better than in the opening game as he played a little deeper here. 6.5
Idrissa Gana Gueye almost found the net in the first half with a well-hit shot
Ismaila Sarr – Hit the side net early on and threatened with his pace to the right. Can feel like he should have scored a goal. 6.5
Famara Diediou – Scored with an excellent header after the break. It was not easy to control, but he stooped well and placed it beautifully in the far corner. 7
Famara Diedhiou scored a brilliant header to give Senegal two goals ahead in the second half
Krepin Diatta – Provides an outlet on the left and almost scored with a deflected cross in the first half. 6.5
Boulay Dia – Took his goal very well by jumping on a mistake by Khoukhi to pop the ball into the bottom corner. His directness caused Qatar problems all afternoon. 7.5
Boulaye Dia eased the nerves by giving Senegal the lead just before half time
Substitutes
Bamba Dieng – Produced a composed finish to restore his side’s two-goal advantage. Could have easily grabbed the ball, but he calmly placed it past the keeper. 7
Pathé Cis – A little unlucky to pick up a booking late as he seemed to hit the ball. 6
Eliman Ndiaye – Not as effective as Sarr when he came on, but he did well from the bench. 6
Pap Cisse – N/A
Pape Matar Sarr – N/A
Manager
Aliou Cisse – Dieng came off the bench to score and the team’s form looked better than in their opening game. 7
Aliou Cisse must have been happy with his team as they returned to winning ways
Referee
Antonio Mateu – Missed a few deflections that should have led to corners, but no big mistakes. 6