The Netherlands and Senegal joined the ranks of teams qualifying for the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in football, with the former defeating the host nation Qatar 2-0, and the latter overcoming Ecuador 2-1 on Tuesday in the final round of group stage matches. They joined France (Group D), Brazil (Group G), and Portugal (Group H).
#### Netherlands Secures Top Spot
The Netherlands secured the top position in the group with seven points, just one point ahead of Senegal, while Ecuador left empty-handed with four points, having started the final round in first place. Qatar faced their third consecutive defeat, exiting the tournament without any points in their first World Cup appearance.
In the first match at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, rising star Cody Gakpo scored for the third time in a row, leading the Netherlands to the Round of 16. Gakpo opened the scoring in the 26th minute and Frenkie de Jong doubled the lead early in the second half in the 49th minute. The Netherlands, runners-up in 1974, 1978, and 2010, only needed a draw to secure their qualification after a challenging opening win against Senegal (2-0) and a draw with Ecuador (1-1). Qatar, the Asian champions participating for the first time, had officially lost hope of advancing after falling to Ecuador 0-2 and subsequently to Senegal 1-3.
In the next round, the Netherlands will face the second-placed team from Group B, which includes England, Iran, the United States, and Wales, on Saturday at Khalifa Stadium, while Senegal will play the group leader on Sunday at Al Bayt Stadium.
The Qatari fans responded to the call for attendance despite the lost hopes, filling Al Bayt Stadium—designed to resemble a traditional Bedouin tent—with 66,000 spectators. Coach Louis van Gaal, who led the Netherlands to a third-place finish in 2014, started forward Memphis Depay for the first time after previously coming on as a substitute in the first two matches due to not having fully recovered from a thigh injury. He played alongside Gakpo, one of the tournament's emerging talents, while Martin de Roon replaced Toon Compagner in midfield.
Van Gaal stated, "The next phase is the most important part of the tournament, and we can start with a positive feeling. We are at the top and will likely play against the second-placed team, which could be the United States or Iran, who are playing tonight and we can watch them."
The Netherlands controlled the first half relatively well but created few significant threats, while the Qatari players attempted to shake off their timidity with quick runs down the flanks, failing, however, to get the ball to striker Almoez Ali. Depay, who scored 12 goals in the qualifiers, posed the main threat for the Netherlands in the first half, shooting high over the bar from inside the box (15) and being blocked by Qatari keeper Saad Al Sheeb (25).
However, in the next attack, after a series of nice passes, the ball reached Gakpo who evaded a defender and launched a powerful low shot from the edge of the area into the bottom right corner of Al Sheeb's goal (26). The 23-year-old PSV Eindhoven player had already scored the first goal for the Netherlands in the tournament just six minutes before the end of regular time in the match against Senegal, and also opened the scoring in the match against Ecuador, making him the first to score in all three of the "Oranje's" matches to date, joining legends like Johan Neeskens (1974), Dennis Bergkamp (1994), and Wesley Sneijder (2010) who scored in three consecutive matches for the Netherlands in World Cups. He also became the second player to score three opening goals in the same group stage, after Italy's Alessandro Altobelli in 1986.
Having not lost in their last 16 group stage matches, the Netherlands secured the first encounter between the two nations when Depay struck a powerful shot just a few meters from the goal, saved by Al Sheeb, but instead of clearing it, Miguel or Almoez Ali inadvertently allowed De Jong to double the score with a simple tap into an empty net (50).
#### Senegal Achieves the Important Victory
In the second match at Khalifa Stadium, Senegal, the African champions, achieved a crucial victory by beating Ecuador 2-1, reaching the Round of 16 for the second time in their history out of three participations, following their initial appearance in 2002 in South Korea and Japan when they reached the quarter-finals.
Watford forward Ismaïla Sarr scored Senegal's first goal from a penalty (44) and Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly added the second (70), while Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo netted Ecuador's goal (68). This was Senegal's second consecutive win after their first against host Qatar 3-1 in the second round, following their initial loss to the Netherlands (0-2).
On the other hand, Ecuador failed to advance past the group stage in their fourth World Cup participation, unable to repeat the success of 2006 when they reached the Round of 16. Senegal applied significant pressure from the start but waited until the 44th minute to open the scoring with a penalty won by Sarr, who converted it himself.
Caicedo equalized by taking advantage of a header from Félix Torres in front of the goal following a corner kick, and tapped it into the empty net (68). However, Ecuador's joy lasted only two minutes and 30 seconds as captain Kalidou Koulibaly restored Senegal's lead, benefiting from a deflected ball off Brighton defender Pervis Estupiñán from a free kick taken by Idrissa Gueye, which Koulibaly finished with his right foot into the net (70). This was Koulibaly's first international goal.
