Netherlands vs Qatar
The Netherlands finish at the top of Group A in the final matchday at the Al-Bayt stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.
The Netherlands went into this game knowing that as long as they didn’t lose, they would be through, and with a win, they would be in first. With this extra confidence booster, they were able to cruise to a 2-0 win over Qatar.
Cody Gakpo scored in the 26th minute with a nice curler into the bottom right corner. He has now scored a goal in each game so far.
Frenkie do Jong scored the second in the 49th minute after tapping in a rebound off of a saved shot. It was an easy goal as both Qatari defenders, who were closer to the rebound, were caught watching the ball, and Frenkie easily runs in front and gets his foot on it right on the goal line.
Ecuador vs Senegal
Senegal qualifies with a 2-1 win today at the Khalifa International stadium in Doha, Qatar.
It should have been an easier match for Ecuador as they only needed a tie to go through, meanwhile, Senegal needed to win.
Senegal took the lead right before halftime went Ismaïla Sarr converted the penalty with a no-look pass into the bottom right corner, leaving the keeper frozen.
Ecuador would respond in the 67th minute with a goal from Moisés Caicedo, but the tie would not last long. Just three minutes later, Kalidou Koulibaly scored for Senegal. A cross came in and was deflected leaving Koulibaly open to pass the rebound across the goal and into the left side.
This was an especially meaningful win for Senegal as they have been playing without their star player Sadio Mane. Mane was left out of the World Cup squad after his injury turned out to be worse than first thought, and he needed to get surgery.
Photo: Kalidou Koulibaly – Shutterstock – user: Marco Iacobuci Epp – ID: 1116566603
