Football: Colombia and Senegal share spoils in Hamilton

Mamadou Thiam of Senegal and Davinson Sanchez of Colombia battle for the ball during the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images.

Senegal 1
Colombia 1

Senegal and Colombia will both be confident of advancing to the knockout stages of the Under 20 World Cup after their hard fought 1-1 draw at Waikato Stadium tonight.

On a slippery, cold night in Hamilton both sides struggled with the conditions but produced two moments of magic which defined the match.

Senegal striker Mamadou Thiam scored a contender for goal of the tournament when he twisted and turned his way through the Colombian defence before firing into the bottom corner in the 23rd minute.

But Colombia equalised just before halftime when Alexis Zapata converted a cheeky panenka penalty kick, which sent the hundreds of wet dancing, singing Colombian fans into a frenzy.

Colombian striker Joeo Rodriguez missed a golden chance to win the match when he sent a shot agonisingly wide from six yards in the 80th minute.

Senegal were always a physical threat from set plays while Colombia dominated possession, but lacked a little quality in the final third in difficult conditions.

The colourful Hamilton crowd of just under 4000 didn't let the rain steal their party as they sung and danced their way through the 90 minutes.

Powerful striker Thiam always looked dangerous for Senegal while Rodriguez was a constant threat with clever footwork for Colombia.

Colombia, who sit on four points, will next face Portugal in a match that will determine the Group C winner while Senegal must beat winless Qatar to progress to the round of 16.

Senegal 1 (Mamadou Thiam)
Colombia 1 (Alexis Zapate)
HT 1-1