Senegal have reached the quarter finals of the Under-20 World Cup, after a dramatic penalty shoot out victory over Ukraine tonight.
Senegal prevailed 3-1 on spot kicks, after the match had ended 1-1 after extra time. The African side will face either Austria or Uzbekistan in the last eight on Sunday.
Ukraine came into this match with the meanest defence in the tournament, the only team to have kept three clean sheets during the group phase.
That showed early, as Ukraine dominated possession and territory, with Senegal limited to occasional counter attacks.
However, once Senegal settled it became an even contest, with some entertaining football. The only thing missing was a goal, partly due to the inaccuracy of the final pass but often down to good defending.
The breakthrough finally came in the 70th minute and it was a beauty. A swift Ukraine counter attack culminated with Artem Biesiedin receiving the ball ten metres from goal, on a narrow angle. The midfielder propped back to his right, then sent an unerringly finish into the far corner of the net.
Much to the delight of the vocal 6,905 crowd, Sidy Sarr equalised for Senegal 13 minutes later, capitalising on a fortunate rebound to slam home. The thrills didn't stop in extra time, with both teams disregarding the usual cautious approach to gamble on a winner and Senegal coming closest in the extra time period.
Ukraine 1 (A. Biesiedin) Senegal 1 (S. Starr) Halftime: 0-0
