Spain And England Await Africa’s Lions In World Cup
After a satisfactory group stage that saw every African representative register a win, Spain and England await in the Round of 16. Morocco, who jointly collected the most points in the group stage, will look to cause yet another stir by eliminating 2010 winners Spain. The Lions of Taranga have a date with the “Its Coming Home” nation of England.
If the group stage results are anything to go by, it would be naive to write off Senegal and Morocco’s chances of progressing to the quarterfinals. African nations are still trying to reach the semifinals for the first ever at a World Cup.
Without star player Sadio Mane, Senegal scored two victories against hosts Qatar and Ecuador after losing the first match to the Netherlands. The momentum of two consecutive wins can carry the West Africans over the England hurdle.
Gana Gueye is set to miss the game against England, and Aliou Cisse will test the depth of his strong squad with an able replacement. Kalidou Koulibaly will again be key for the Teranga Lions after a match-winning performance against Ecuador. Koulibaly dedicated the win to the legendary Papa Bouba Diop.
“We are a group, we are a team, we are brothers,” confirmed Koulibaly.
Morocco’s opponents in the Round of 16 changed a couple of times in the space of 45 minutes as mathematics played out, with Spain finally ending up a surprising second. It was not the only surprise served up in the group stages as upsets became the norm.
After two convincing wins, the Atlas Lions are by no means confirmed underdogs. Ziyech and Hakimi are operating at their mercurial best, with the rest of the squad following in the two stars’ footsteps. En-Nasyri has his scoring boots firmly tied and looks like a clear and present danger for the English.
