England faces AFCON champion Senegal in the FIFA World Cup 2022 round of 16 clash at Al Bayt Stadium on Sunday night. The game will start at 12:30 AM Indian Standard Time.
England advanced to the pre-quarterfinals as the Group B topper. Gareth Southgate’s team beat Iran and Wales, and played out a goalless draw against the USA.
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Senegal had a contrasting campaign in this World Cup, with the African champion, playing without star player Sadio Mane, going down to the Netherlands in its opening match before bouncing back with wins against Ecuador and Qatar.
England and Senegal have never played against each other. This will be their first meeting in any competition. With Aliou Cisse’s team in good form, this match promises to be good contest.
Ivan Barton of El Salvador will be in charge of the proceedings tonight.
Who is Barton?
Barton is the third youngest referee at Qatar World Cup at 31. He has experience officiating FIFA World Cup and El Salvador’s Primera Division matches.
A FIFA enlisted referee since 2018, Barton obtained a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Sciences from the University of El Salvador, where he also teaches chemistry as a professor.
Barton made his World Cup debut in Qatar. He is known to be lenient as a referee. He allowed players to express themselves without frequent stoppages.
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He officiated Japan’s shock 2-1 win over Germany. He was also in charge of the Group G match between Brazil and Switzerland in which the South American side won 1-0. In two games, Barton booked only one player.
However, in the El Salvador league, he sent off four players for rough play.
In the England vs Senegal game, Barton will be assisted by his compatriot David Moran and the USA referee Kathryn Nesbitt on the field.
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