The importance of the occasion was not lost on Kalidou Koulibaly and neither was the poignancy. Two years to the day since Papa Bouba Diop died aged 42, his successors in the Senegal shirt honoured the midfielder’s memory in the finest way possible, advancing into the last 16 and a date with England at the expense of Ecuador.
Koulibaly prepared for the Group A decider by watching videos of Bouba Diop in his prime. The Senegal captain shaped it with his first international goal, sending the Africa Cup of Nations champions through and Ecuador out with a winner 150 seconds after Moisés Caicedo’s equaliser threatened to turn the tables.
