Senegal secured Africa’s first victory at the 2022 World Cup by defeating hosts Qatar 3-1 in Doha on Friday to kick-start their own campaign.
After an opening 2-0 defeat by the Netherlands, the African champions were up against it, but despite a late rally by the hosts, they saw out a 3-1 triumph to boost their chances of progress.
The Teranga Lions will now meet Ecuador in their final group game on Tuesday.
The Senegal coach switched up the Teranga Lions’ approach ahead of this match, introducing a pair of strikers—Boulaye Dia and Famara Diedhiou—while dropping Cheikhou Kouyate from the midfield.
It was an adventurous step by the head coach, as he assessed his options in light of weaker opposition and after the opening defeat by the Dutch.
It also gave the Lions much more of a cutting edge than they’d had in their opener, and after netting three goals, Senegal might finally be helping their fans get over the loss of Sadio Mane.
