Ecuador and Senegal play a ticket for the round of 16

Ecuador and Senegal play a ticket for the round of 16

A draw against the Africans is enough for the 'Tri', who need to win to advance to the qualifiers for the second time in their history

MADRID, 28 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The selections of Ecuador and Senegal face this Tuesday at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha (4:00 p.m. / World Goal and Movistar) for a ticket to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, a match in which the South Americans would suffice with a draw to achieve it and for which the African team would need a victory.

The team led by the Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, the youngest of all those who attended the World Cup, beat the hosts Qatar in the opening match (0-2) with two goals from Enner Valencia, their scorer also in the draw at the second matchday against the Netherlands (1-1).

The Fenerbahçe forward, top scorer in the tournament tied with Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (3) and author of Ecuador's last six goals in the World Cup, injured his knee in the duel against the three-time world runner-up, but it will not be an impediment to be available in the duel that could give his team the ticket to the playoffs for the second time in its history.

Thus, with the only loss of the suspended Jhegson Méndez, the 'Tri' will go to Doha knowing that a draw is enough to achieve their goal, and they could even go first in Group A if the Dutch -with the same points (4) and goals for (3) and against (1) that the Ecuadorians fail against the hostess.

If they manage to finish top, they could avoid a hypothetical crossover in the round of 16 with England, precisely the rival that eliminated them in that same round in Germany 2006 on the only occasion in which they managed to advance to the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Senegal, African champion and orphan of its national hero Sadio Mané -injured before the World Cup-, needs to win if it wants to continue ahead in Qatar. Louis Van Gaal's men punished the 'Lions of Teranga' excessively in the opening game, with two goals in the final minutes (0-2), but later they knew how to recover to win and eliminate Qatar (1-3).

Four years ago, the fair play tiebreaker dramatically prevented them from reaching the round of 16 -with Japan taking the pass-, and now they hope to make up for it by holding on to the gunpowder offered by men like Boulaye Dia, Famara Diédhiou and Bamba Dieng, all of them scorers in the second day.

Ahead, the challenge of returning to the qualifiers 20 years later, after the feat of Korea and Japan 2022, where only Turkey stopped their path in the quarterfinals. Now, coach Aliou Cissé, precisely one of the stars of that event, will seek to continue Senegal's dream.

ECUADOR: Galindez; Preciado, Torres, Hincapié, Estupiñán; Silver, Caicedo, Cifuentes, Ibarra; Valencia and Road.

SENEGAL: E.Mendy; Sabaly, Koulibaly, Diallo, Jacobs; Diatta, Gueye, N.Mendy, Sarr; Diédhiou and Boulaye Dia.

--REFEREE: Clément Turpin (FRA).

--STADIUM: Khalifa International.

--TIME: 4:00 p.m./Gol Mundial and Movistar.