With a strong second-half performance against Wales in the mid-week, Englandproved their naysayers wrong once again and advanced from Group B as victors to the round of 16 at the2022 World Cup.As a result, theEnglish supporters will be rooting for their team to go all the way in Qatar. In the last 16, they will face the team that finished second in Group A, Senegal, as the African nation advanced by defeating Ecuador in the final Group Stage match.
With a perfect 20-for-20 record against African teams in international competition, the Three Lions will be confident heading into this game. However, Senegal will provide stern competition, certainly feeling significantly less pressure than their opponents since this is just their second-ever participation in a World Cup knockout round.
What is more, since many of the Senegalese players are contracted to English teams, they will be eager to make a statement by pulling off an upset. Despite Sadio Mane‘s absence, theLions of Terangastill havea bevy of top-flight professionals including Edouard Mendy andKalidou Koulibalyof Chelsea, Nampalys Mendy of Leicester, and Ismaila Sarr of Watford. Thus,despite the oddsmakers favoring England, this edition of the World Cup has shown us that ‘impossible is nothing’.
What would happenif England lose to Senegal in theQatar 2022 Round of 16?
Quite simply, ifthe English national soccer team suffera defeat, they would be knocked out of the tournament in the last 16.For the World Cup, the Knockout Round consists of one-game playoffs.
Therefore, there is no opportunity to win the series by taking game two. There is no room for a mistakein this win-or-go-home approach. For Gareth Southgate’ssquad to advance to the Quarter-Finals, they must win in regular time, after extra time, or after successfully taking apenalty series.