Qatar is making its first World Cup appearance this year on home soil, and it now has its first goal.
Mohammed Muntari scored in the 78th minute of Friday’s match against Senegal, becoming the first player to net a World Cup goal for Qatar.
Ismaeel Mohammad earned the assist after sending in a perfect cross from the right side of the field. Muntari flew in and blasted a header past Senegalese goalie Édouard Mendy.
Muntari plays club soccer for Al-Duhail in Qatar and has been with the country’s national team since 2014. The World Cup tally was his 14th career goal in international play.
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Muntari’s header injected some life into the host nation, which was trailing 2-0 at the time. However, Senegal quickly countered with a third goal en route to a 3-1 victory.
Qatar is on the verge of elimination from knockout contention. Every other team in Group A has three points ahead of Ecuador’s match against the Netherlands at 11 a.m. ET. If those two nations draw or the Netherlands win, Qatar would become the first team to be eliminated.
