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Qatar and Senegal will square off at the Al Thumama Stadium on Friday, seeking to register their first win of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The World Cup hosts had the worst start they could have envisaged, falling to a 2-0 defeat against Ecuador in the tournament opener. The Asian champions were outplayed for the entirety of the game and looked nowhere near the levels expected on the biggest stage.
Senegal also suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands, with two late goals from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klassen giving the Oranje all three points. The African champions matched their European counterparts for much of the game but were undone by two goalkeeping errors from Edouard Mendy.
The respective defeats left both sides playing catch-up in Group A, making Friday's fixture a must-win for the two sides.
Qatar vs Senegal Head-to-Head stats
This will be the first international meeting between the two sides. Qatar's four-game winning run was ended with their defeat to Ecuador. Senegal have failed to win any of their last two matches.
Qatar form guide: L-W-W-W-W
Senegal form guide: L-D-W-W-W
Qatar vs Senegal: Numbers you need to know before their FIFA World Cup 2022 encounter
Qatar became the first host nation to lose their opening game in the FIFA World Cup and were the first nation in 52 years not to score in their opening game.
Senegal registered 15 shots against the Netherlands (their second-highest in a World Cup match) after the 26 they managed against Sweden in 2022.
The Teranga Lions conceded against the Oranje with the first shot on target they faced in the match, while Qatar failed to muster a single shot on target against Ecuador.
The World Cup hosts could find themselves eliminated if they suffer a defeat to Senegal depending on the result of the game between the Netherlands and Ecuador. They are seeking to avoid becoming only the second host nation to suffer a group-stage elimination after South Africa in 2010.
Senegal are Africa's highest-ranked side in the tournament (18th in the world) and are without a clean sheet in their last eight World Cup matches. Ismaila Sarr contributed directly to seven of his country's 15 shots against the Netherlands, registering three shots and creating four chances.
Qatar's failure to register a shot on target against Ecuador made them the first hosts to not test the opposing goalkeeper since the USA against Brazil in 1994.
