Senegal booked a place in the men’s London Olympic soccer tournament when they overcame a tenacious Oman 2-0 thanks to goals two minutes from the start and two minutes from the end of their playoff on Monday.
The match to decide the final berth in the 16-team tournament drew a lively crowd of more than 11,000 who saw a match full of end-to-end action with the smaller and more nimble Omani players making the Senegalese battle all the way for a hard-fought victory.
Ibrahima Balde, who plays for Osasuna in Spain, headed home after 90 seconds when he was left unmarked at a free-kick while both teams missed countless scoring chances at either end.
The African side finally secured victory when substitute Abdoulaye Sane took advantage of a break and shot low past Omani keeper Omar Al Abri with the Asian side committed to attack.
Senegal, who have reached the Olympic finals for the first time, will find out their opponents when the draw is made at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
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