Original title: Qatar World Cup|Koulibaly: Senegal will make history
Xinhua News Agency, Doha, November 29th (Reporters Dong Yixing, Xiao Yazhuo, Zhang Yifei) Central defender Koulibaly scored the winning goal and helped Senegal beat Ecuador 2:1 in the final round of the Qatar World Cup group stage. After reaching the round of 16 in the World Cup again. After the game, he said that the team’s next goal is to make history.
On November 29, Senegal player Koulibaly (front) celebrated after scoring a goal in the game.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Yulong
Senegal’s best World Cup record was reaching the quarter-finals in 2002.
“When we first came to Qatar our goal was to get out of the group and that was enough to make us happy. But now we want to go further,” Coulibaly said in his post-match news conference. “We are like a big family. , we want to make history together. Every game will be difficult, so we have to respect the opponent and focus on preparing for the next game.”
Koulibaly dedicated the victory to Mane and Diop. “While Mane is not with us, he is always part of the team. We know there will be more pressure in his absence because he is our star, our symbol. But football is a game of 11 men and now It’s time for other players to shine,” Koulibaly said.
On November 29, players of the Senegalese team celebrated the goal of teammate Koulibaly during the game.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pan Yulong
The core of the team, Mane, missed the World Cup due to a leg injury. And Diop is the World Cup hero of the Senegal team. He scored in the 2002 World Cup opener and helped the team beat the defending champion France 1:0. He was the number one contributor to the team’s advancement to the top 16. In 2020, Diop died of illness.