Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

World Cup 2022: Reasons for Ecuador to be confident of beating Senegal

sportsmole.co.uk, 28 November 2022, 13:11
Ecuador will be hoping to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup for only the second time in their history when they face Senegal in a crucial clash at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday evening.

La Tri have impressed in their opening two games in Qatar by first brushing aside the hosts in the opening game of the tournament before earning a 1-1 draw with group-favourites Netherlands.

With a first-ever match with African opposition at a World Cup ahead of them, Ecuador know a point will be good enough to secure passage to the last 16 for the first time in the competition since 2006.

Head coach Gustavo Alfaro has received plenty of praise on how he has set up his team against Qatar and especially in that stalemate with the Dutch, with the 60-year-old having lost just eight of his 34 games in charge of the national side since taking charge in August 2020.

Ahead of this winner-takes-all clash, Sports Mole looks at some reasons for Ecuador to be confident of beating Senegal and reaching the knockout stages.

Talismanic figure

When former West Ham United striker Enner Valencia put two goals past helpless-hosts Qatar as this World Cup kicked off over a week ago, many fans of the Premier League felt a sense of nostalgia over the player - a feeling which often comes whilst watching lesser-followed nations at major tournaments.

If before this month Valencia was a distant memory, then now he is at the forefront of every football fans' mind, as the Fenerbahce man leads the goalscoring charts at the tournament alongside Frenchman Kylian Mbappe with three strikes.

The 33-year-old is now his nations' record scorer at World Cup Finals with six goals and became the first South American to score six consecutive times in the competition, highlighting what a talent Ecuador have at the top end of the pitch.

Valencia was stretchered off in the latter stages against the Dutch on Friday but has reassured supporters of his fitness ahead of Tuesday's crunch match, with Brighton & Hove Albion's Jeremy Sarmiento waiting in the wings if the ex-Everton man is unable to recover in time.

In a group where Senegal have suffered without Sadio Mane and Netherlands have been unable to fully utilise star man Memphis Depay due to injury, Ecuador have a player in Valencia that can get them an important goal when games are tense and cagey.

Senegal's South American struggles

Although this is the first time Ecuador and Senegal have met in a World Cup, the Lions of Teranga have been unable to pick up maximum points either time they faced South American opposition on football's biggest stage in the past.

Four years ago Senegal were beaten 1-0 by Colombia due to a second-half Yerry Mina goal - a result which knocked Aliou Cisse's men out of the tournament at the expense of Japan who boasted a better disciplinary record in the group stages.

A six-goal thriller was played out when Senegal met Uruguay in Suwon during the 2002 World Cup, with Cisse captaining his side that day when they came up against a young Diego Forlan who netted in the second half as the South Americans staged a three-goal comeback.

Like Tuesday's matchup, both of Senegal's previous handlings with South American teams at the World Cup were in the final game of the group stage, and if Ecuador manage to follow their continental counterparts by avoiding defeat they will advance to the knockout stages for the first time in 16 years.

Unbeaten run

Although Ecuador will be looking to top Group A ahead of Netherlands, Alfaro's primary aim will be to ensure his side do not taste defeat at the Khalifa International Stadium, with their current unbeaten run boding well for avoiding a loss.

That Valencia equaliser against the Dutch extended La Tri's unbeaten run to nine games, with Ecuador only conceding to Louis van Gaal's men and Argentina in a period stretching back to March.

Although Senegal found their shooting boots against a defensively-weak Qatari team, Alfaro's men will be a completely different proposition and without the trickery of Mane it would not be a surprise to see Hernan Galindez keep a second clean sheet of his tournament.

It must be said that six of those nine matches unbeaten have ended in draws by either 0-0 or 1-1 scorelines, but with only a point needed for qualification to the last 16, such a result against Senegal would not be met with disappointment from the Ecuadorians.

Read more on Ecuador vs Senegal

Click here to read our full preview for Ecuador vs Senegal

How Ecuador could line up against Senegal

How Senegal could line up against Ecuador

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.