Senegal eye last 16

Senegal 3 Uruguay 0

Senegal stormed towards a place in the last 16 of the World Cup in their final Group A game against Uruguay.

The West Africans, who just needed a point to qualify for the second round, raced into a three-goal lead in the first half from a penalty by Khalilou Fadiga and two strikes by Papa Bouba Diop.

The match had the makings of a physical contest and it began that way when Senegal had Henri Camara and Omar Daf booked for fouls in the first three minutes.

Uruguay managed the first effort on goal when Dario Silva chested down Dario Rodriguez’s left-wing cross and blazed over.

Referee Jan Wegereef produced his yellow card a third time to caution Marcelo Romero and the midfielder would have missed Uruguay’s next game should they have made it to the second phase.

Senegal took the lead on 20 minutes through a controversial penalty. Diouf pounced on Paolo Montero’s weak back pass and then threw himself to the ground, even through Uruguay goalkeeper Fabian Carini pulled out of the challenge and did not appear to make contact.

Wegereef thought otherwise and booked Carini for the fourth caution of the match and Fadiga stroked the spot kick home.

Uruguay now needed to score at least three times to make the second round and they went close to getting one of those goals when Alvaro Recoba’s dipping free-kick was saved by Tony Sylva at his left-hand post.

However the South Americans’ task became well nigh impossible in the 26th minute when Senegal scored a second through the scourge of the French, Diop.

Recoba lost the ball and Senegal broke down the left in Camara and he squared the ball along the edge of the 18-yard box for Diop to sidefoot home his second goal of the tournament.

On 38 minutes it was 3-0, although Diop looked to be just offside before he converted Camara’s left-wing cross with a shot which went in off the underside of the bar.