Kalidou Koulibaly is expecting a really difficult challenge on Sunday evening as his Senegal side take on England in the World Cup Round of 16 in Qatar.
The 31-year-old Chelsea defender was the hero for his nation on Tuesday afternoon after scoring a sublime winning goal against Ecuador. The superb volley from Koulibaly came on 70 minutes, just moments after their South American opponents had equalised through Brighton's Moises Caicedo.
Koulibaly's goal ensured the west African country progressed into the next round of the competition where they will take on England on Sunday. The Chelsea defender, who signed from Napoli over the summer transfer window, could come up against three of his club team-mates in Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher at the weekend.
"It was an amazing moment for me to score this goal," the Chelsea and Senegal defender said after the match. "It is a dream for every child to score at a World Cup, and I'm very happy it was my first goal for the national team, after 67 matches. It was worth waiting for!
"It was difficult to concede but the coach prepared us for them to attack more strongly in the second-half. We didn't want to have any regrets at this World Cup and we gave everything. We kept believing.
"It was a tough group. We lost the first game [to the Netherlands] so we knew this game was decisive, and was one of the most important of our careers. All the team deserve it."
On the challenge of facing England in the next round, Koulibaly accepted it will be very tough. However, the defender detailed what he and his team-mates need to do in order to give themselves the best chance.
"The next game will be tough, every game is," Koulibaly added. "But the team who plays against us will be a little bit afraid. They can see we have a lot of talent – that we can do good things.
"Now we need to rest and keep our feet on the ground. We've qualified which is good, we can enjoy it but then we have to concentrate on the last 16. We don't want to make up the numbers. We want to show we are a good team, show why we are the champions of Africa, and show it on the global stage."
Koulibaly will have the opportunity to knock out Gareth Southgate's England in the next round where he is likely to be up against club colleagues Sterling and Mount. The Chelsea duo were both rested for the Three Lions' 3-0 victory over Wales on Tuesday evening, but after starting the opening two matches of the World Cup, there is a chance they come back into the side for the Round of 16.
However, Marcus Rashford, who scored twice on Tuesday, and Phil Foden both impressed against Wales so Southgate may look to keep faith with them at the weekend. As for Gallagher, the Chelsea midfielder is yet to feature for his country and his chances of playing look slim at the moment.
However, it could be a match that features five Chelsea players in total, with Edouard Mendy the first-choice goalkeeper for Senegal. It's a game that Englishman Graham Potter will certainly have a keen interest in for several reasons.
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