World Cup 2022: The Leicester City stars featuring in the last 16

The group stage of this year’s World Cup has come to a close, and after some frankly absurd evenings of final group games, every side that entered the competition now knows their fate. 16 teams are progressing on, with the other 50 per cent going home – some after abject failure, and others after making a really good fist of it.

For Leicester City, there were seven members of the first team representing their nations at this tournament – and the process so far has claimed five – sealed with Daniel Amartey’s Ghana bowing out with a disappointing defeat in a grudge match with Uruguay. Here at Foxes of Leicester, we decided to look a little further into the prospects of those City men still hoping for glory in Qatar.

Nampalys Mendy of Leicester City

The first of this year’s group games that served as a straight knockout match was on Tuesday, at lunchtime, as Mendy’s Senegal faced off against Ecuador, starting the fixture a solitary point behind their opponents. With group leaders Netherlands facing only the formality of dispatching hosts Qatar to go through, the Senegalese knew nothing short of three points would see their participation in the competition extended further.

And pick up the three points they did, as a winning goal from Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly quickly repelled Moises Caicedo’s equaliser just three minutes before. The victory meant the West-African nation qualified for the knockout stage for the first time in 20 years, having progressed in Japan and South Korea by courtesy of their shock victory over holders France in the opening game.

This result sets Mendy’s Senegal up with a difficult tie in the last 16, against the side with the most goals in the tournament so far – Gareth Southgate’s England. The Foxes midfielder was used as a 74th minute substitute on Tuesday, but is expected to make more of an influence on Sunday’s knockout tie due to the suspension of his teammate Idrissa Gana Gueye.