Ecuador v Senegal, 29 November 2022

Kick-off: 6.00pm local (3.00pm GMT) . FIFA world ranking: Ecuador 44, Senegal 18 . Needing to win their final group game, Senegal finished as runners-up in Group A to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup finals for the first time since 2002. Current manager Aliou Cisse played in four of their five games at that tournament. . If they had avoided defeat, Ecuador would have qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup for the second time, previously in 2006. It would also have been the first time they would have remained unbeaten throughout a group stage. . Ecuador’s Enner Valencia failed in his attempt to become the first-ever player to score seven consecutive goals for a nation at the World Cup finals. . This was Ecuador's first-ever game at the World Cup finals against an African nation. . Senegal failed to win either of their previous games at World Cup finals against South American opposition; 3-3 against Uruguay in 2002 and 0-1 against Colombia in 2018. . Senegal had now qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup finals for a second time. In their 2002 success, current manager Aliou Cissé was their captain and played in four of the five games at that tournament in Japan and Korea Republic. . In his 67th appearance, Kalidou Koulibaly scored his first goal for Senegal. . Senegal won the only previous meetings with Ecuador; a friendly game played Tokyo in May 2002 (1-0). .