Senegal took charge after scoring two goals each side of halftime, Boulaye Dia and Famara Diedhiou, as they attempted to avenge their opening-night loss to the Netherlands.
The hosts’ incredible comeback was cut short after just six minutes when Ahmadou Dieng restored Senegal’s two-goal advantage with a goal in the 78th minute from Mohammed Muntari, who scored Qatar’s first-ever goal at a World Cup championships .
Qatar improved against Senegal after a World Cup debut to forget against Ecuador, albeit they lacked forward threat in a lopsided first half.
Senegal took the lead four minutes before halftime when Dia capitalized on a defensive blunder by Boualem Khoukhi to fire in the opening goal at the near post for Senegal.
Within three minutes of the restart, Senegal extended their advantage when Diedhiou skillfully flicked Qatar’s shot into the net from a corner.
However, the hosts responded admirably, scoring on their first two shots at goal in this World Cup after Edouard Mendy made two excellent stops to stop Almoez Ali and Ismail Mohamad in quick succession.
When Muntari rose high and expertly headed in his country’s first World Cup finals goal 12 minutes from time, the Qatari pressure finally paid off. However, the celebrations were fleeting as Dieng restored Senegal’s two-goal margin from 12 yards away, leaving the hosts facing an early exit.