UMQEQESHI weSenegal, u-Aliou Cisse, ukuqonda kahle ukuthi selizogaya ngomunye umhlathi njengoba sebengene esigabeni somkhumulajezi kwiNdebe yoMhlaba kulandela ukuwina ngo-2-1 kwi-Ecuador ngoLwesibili, emdlalweni wokugcina ka-Group A eKhalifa International Stadium, eQatar.
Labo mpetha base-Afrika, bafike enkundleni bekuqonda kahle ukuthi iwini kuphela ezobawelisela kwi-Last 16. I-Ecaudor yona ibidinga ukudlala ngokulingana ukuze idlule.
Konke lokhu iSenegal bekumele ikwenze ngaphandle komholi wayo nokaputeni olimele, umgadli uSadio Mane.
U-Ismaila Sarr odlalela iWatford noKalidou Koulibaly weChelsea, yibona abenzele leli qembu lesizwe umsebenzi elijwayele ukuwenzelwa uMane ngokushaya amagoli amqoka ngokuhlukana kweziwombe.
UMoises Caicedo ubekade eshayele i-Ecuador igoli lokulinganisa kusanda kubuywa ekhefini.
Le wini yeLions of Teranga isho ukuthi kwi-Last 16 izoqhuthana ne-England, eqede iqhwakele kuGroup B ngemuva kokwehlula iWales ngo-3-0 kowokugcina wamaqoqo ngoLwesibili.
Umdlalo ozocacisa ukuthi iyaqhubeka indlela yeSenegal eQatar noma cha, ungeSonto ngo-9 ebusuku, e-Al Bayt Stadium.
“Singena esigabeni esihlukile futhi esiqinile ngoba sekusele amaqembu esizwe ahlonishwayo wodwa emhlabeni,” ucashunwe esho kanje uCisse kwiFifa.com.
“Isigaba esingena kusona sihluke kakhulu kunalesi esisijwayele (imidlalo yamaqoqo) ngakho-ke kufanele silungele ukubhekana nanoma iliphi iqembu lesizwe esinikwa lona.
“Sekufike esigabeni esinzima ngoba akusadingi ukutolikwa, uma uwinile uyaqhubeka nomqhudelwano kodwa uma udlale kancane, ubuyela ekhaya,” kuqhuba uCisse okunguyena futhi ogcine ukuhola iSenegal, idlulela kwi-Last 16 yeNdebe yoMhlaba esengukaputeni eminyakeni engu-20 edlule eKorea/Japan.
UCisse uveze nokuthi impumelelo yabo bayibhekise kuMane.
“Ngithanda ukubhekisa le mpumelelo kwindoda eyenzela izwe izinto ezimangazayo, ngebhadi engekho lapha namuhla. Leyo ndoda uSadio Mane,” kusho uCisse.
Isikwati seSenegal sigqishe ngenqwaba yabadlali abasemabhukwini amaqembu ase-England. Ngaphandle kukaSarr noKoulibally, kukhona unozinti u-Edouard Mendy, odlala kwiChelsea.
U-Idrissa Gana Gueye udlalela i-Everton kodwa ngeke abekhona kulo mdlalo ngenxa yesigwebo samakhadi aphuzi.
Ngo-2002, iSenegal yakwazi ukwehlula iSweden ngo-2-1 esikhathini esengeziwe kwi-Last 16. Ngalokhu yaba yizwe lesibili lase-Afrika ukudlulela kuma-quarterfinal kulo mqhudelwano. ICameroon yaba izwe lokuqala ukukwenza ngo-1990.
Kuma-quartefinal iLions of Teranga yabe isihlulwa iTurkey ngo-1-0.