Qatar utterly failed in their match against Ecuador on Sunday, the tournament’s opening match, losing 2-0 to the South American team.
Their performance against CONMEBOL’s least talented team was a clear indication of their status on the world stage, but fortunately for them, there is still time for them to disprove those opinions.
The truth, however, is that Qatar lost its opening match, making it the first host nation in World Cup history to do so.
Not only that, but the Maroons are the first hosts since the USA’s failure to do so in their 1994 last 16 loss to Brazil to not have a shot on target in a match at the finals.
According to manager Felix Sanchez, his team was “nervous,” and their performance did have the appearance of a team that froze under pressure.
Despite sharing the same fate as the hosts, Senegal’s performance against the Netherlands on Monday left a lot to be desired.
Their attack’s build-up play was simple to watch, and they generally played good defense.
However, the Lions of Teranga also suffered a 2-0 loss as a result of Edouard Mendy’s two grave mistakes.
Cody Gakpo’s 84th-minute header for the opening goal was the first shot on target the Dutch had in the match, which again illustrates how well Senegal did to stifle them for much of the game.
However, given the opposition they will be up against, Senegal appears to have a better chance of recording their first cleansheet in nine World Cup finals games.
They only gave up two goals on their way to winning the Africa Cup of Nations at the beginning of the year, and they allowed just three goals in their final six games before this tournament. Their defensive performance in Africa has been impressive.
how does the market feel about this match?
1×2 Betting Odds
Qatar, although being the host side, are not the favourites to win this one as their odds stand at 6.30.
Senegal, after a compelling performance against the Dutch will be looking to win their first match. The odds that they do it are at 1.67.
The odds of a stalemate stand at 3.80.
Senegal have lacked a scoring touch of late, but they will hope that dominating possession and creating enough chances will give them the edge.
Total goals over/under
The odds that the total number of goals score will be over 2.5, stands at 2.35.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands at 1.65.
So the market believes there will be limited goals in this match, but Senegal to win!
