After a 3-1 loss to Senegal, hosts Qatar are on the brink of elimination.

Assuming the Netherlands beat Ecuador, Qatar will be eliminated from the World Cup if they lose.
The Senegalese crowd livened things up with their vibrant attire and loud, rhythmic drumming.
Home fans wore maroon shirts, and many of the men wore thobes, the traditional dress of the Middle East.
DOHA: Qatar, the tournament’s hosts, are in serious danger of being eliminated after Friday’s 3-1 loss to Senegal at Al Thumama Stadium, despite Mohammed Muntari scoring his country’s first goal at a World Cup finals.

With a win or a draw for the Netherlands later on Friday, they will become the first team to mathematically eliminate Qatar from the tournament.

The Senegalese fans added vibrancy and sound with their drumming throughout the game, while the home fans wore maroon shirts and many of the men wore the traditional Middle Eastern thobe, a white tunic that falls just above the ankles.

Without any first-game jitters, Qatar quickly dominated Senegal and should have been awarded a penalty when Ismaila Sarr tripped over Akram Afif, but Spanish referee Antonio Mateu waved away their pleas and VAR did not step in.

Senegal needed either a moment of magic or a catastrophic mistake from Qatar defender Boualem Khoukhi for them to score against a resolute Qatari defense.

When he went down without making good contact while trying to clear a routine low pass into the box, Krepin Diatta scored a goal.

After Khoukhi missed the target, Dia pounced and rattled the ball in at the near post to give Senegal the lead. Dia is only 26 years old.

The Qatari crowd thinned out a bit in the second half, but that didn’t stop Famara Diedhou from doubling Senegal’s lead with a brilliant glancing header off an Ismail Jakobs corner in the 48th minute.

The absent home fans returned quickly, and they were rewarded with some excellent attacking play and the team’s first shots on goal of the tournament, one of which was a brilliant reflex save by Edouard Mendy from Ismael Mohamad.

Although Muntari scored a goal in the 78th minute with a bullet header off of Mohamad’s cross, Senegal remained unfazed and continued to dominate possession in the middle of the field.

Bamba Dieng scored his team’s third goal six minutes after Muntari’s goal, finishing off a pass from fellow substitute Iliman Ndiaye. With no points, Qatar now finds themselves at the bottom of Group A, with all of their rivals in the group having three.