FIFA World Cup 2022, Senegal thrash Qatar 3-1: Key stats
Senegal thrashed Qatar 3-1 in a crunch Group A encounter of the FIFA World Cup. Aliou Cisse's men dominated the scenes right from kick-off but failed to break the deadlock until the 41st-minute mark. Boulaye Dia opened their account, while Famara Diedhiou converted the second minutes after half-time. Mohammed Muntari pulled one back for Qatar but Senegal found a third to complete the rout.
Muntari inks history for Qatar
As per Squawka, Muntari has become the first player in Qatar's history to score a World Cup goal. The 28-year-old striker now has 14 goals across 50 international appearances for the Maroon. Notably, Qatar had their first shot on target at the 63rd-minute mark.
A look at the H2H record
This was the first meeting between Qatar and Senegal in international football. It was also the first time Senegal faced the host nation in a World Cup match. Senegal's only previous meeting with AFC opposition at the World Cup came in the last tournament in Russia, with the Lions of Teranga tasting a 2-2 draw with Japan.
Key stats from the match
Senegal dominated more of the ball, with a 61% possession in contrast to Qatar (39%). The Lions had seven attempts with three shots on target. Qatar attempted merely two shots and missed the target each time. However, Qatar garnered 10 tackles, four interceptions, and 12 clearances in contrast to Senegal (4, 2, and 7).
Contrasting records for Senegal, Qatar
As per Squawka, Senegal are the first African team to win a game at the 2022 WC. Qatar are the first host nation to lose two matches in a single group round of an edition of the World Cup.
Distinct records for Senegal
This was just the second time Senegal scored at least three goals in a World Cup game after a 3-3 draw with Uruguay in 2002. It's the first time they have had three different scorers in a game at the tournament (Dia, Diedhiou, and Dieng). Meanwhile, Diedhiou (29y 345d) became Senegal's oldest goal-scorer at the World Cup.
How did the match pan out?
After being too wide in his initial attempt, Dia capitalized on Qatar's poor defense to score the opener. Senegal doubled the lead with a sensational header off Diedhiou right after half-time. Chelsea goalkeeper Eduoard Mendy denied Almoez Ali and Ismail Mohamed but had no answer to Muntari's header. Qatar looked for an equalizer but instead conceded their third through a stunning strike from Dieng.
