Qatar – Senegal : Preview & Prediction
The little margin for error in the group stage has left Senegal and Qatar with the need to win at any cost, as both sides started their passage in the 2022 World Cup with 2-0 defeats. The hosts put in a really poor showing against Ecuador, forcing coach Felix Sanchez to be candid after the match, declaring that “responsibility and nerves got the better of us” and lamenting Qatar’s “terrible start”.
Many of the home fans agreed, which is perhaps why there appeared to be a mass exodus of fans long before the match ended at the Al Bayt stadium. That defeat gave Qatar the unfortunate record of being the first host team to lose its first World Cup match, and it now risks becoming only the fifth home team to lose consecutive matches at the tournament. However, coach Sanchez has said he is “completely confident” that his team will make the fans much happier this time around.
Senegal’s loss to the Netherlands felt like an undeserved result as they were on their way to registering an important point. The Netherlands’ first shot on goal against them in the 84th minute proved to be Cody Gakpo’s equalizer-breaking goal, while Davy Klaasen’s goal, officially registered at 98:17, was the second-latest goal scored at a World Cup in regular time since 1966. It was second only to Iran’s second goal from the penalty spot in their 6-2 loss to England just hours earlier in the day.
Coach Aliou Cissé was dealt a blow in the run-up to the tournament when star player Sadio Mané was sidelined with an injury. That absence has significantly impacted Senegal’s effectiveness in attack, as they failed to score on Monday despite registering 15 shots – only against Sweden (2022 – 26) did the “Lions” have more in a single World Cup match. Given that they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games at a World Cup, having a more lucid performance in front of goal will likely be the key to them being able to get a positive result here.
Players to watch: Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb had an erratic performance against Ecuador, although nerves may have contributed to that, given that he recorded three clean sheets in his previous four appearances for his club or national team. Meanwhile, Senegal’s Ismaïla Sarr contributed directly to seven of her team’s 15 shots against the Netherlands (shots: three, chances created: four).
Key stat: Qatar did not register a shot on goal in its opening match against Ecuador.
World Cup trivia: Failing to test Ecuador’s goalkeeper made Qatar the first host team to record no shots on goal since the United States against Brazil in the round of 16 in 1994, and could become the first team since the United States in 2006 to go scoreless in back-to-back World Cup matches.
Qatar – Senegal : Betting Tips
Senegal – Win Odds: 1.66
