Senegal kept alive their hopes of reaching the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams after a commanding 5-0 victory over Iraq in their final Group I match on Friday.
The Lions of Teranga needed a convincing win to remain in contention for progression and delivered their strongest performance of the competition, overwhelming an Iraq side reduced to 10 men early in the match.
Senegal struck inside four minutes when a goalmouth scramble ended with the ball deflecting into the net off midfielder Habib Diarra after Abdoulaye Seck’s header caused chaos in the Iraqi defence. The goal was initially credited to Seck before being awarded to Diarra.
Iraq’s challenge became significantly more difficult in the 13th minute when defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off for pulling back Sadio Mané as the Senegal captain raced through on goal.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Iraq resisted for much of the first half, but Senegal eventually turned their dominance into goals after the break.
Pape Matar Sarr doubled the lead in the 57th minute before substitute Pape Gueye made an immediate impact, scoring seconds after coming off the bench in the 59th minute.
Gueye struck again in the 71st minute to extend Senegal’s advantage to 4-0, as Iraq struggled to cope with sustained pressure and attacking intensity.
The rout was completed in the 83rd minute when Iliman Ndiaye unleashed a powerful long-range strike to seal a 5-0 win.
The result marked a historic moment as Senegal became the first African nation to score five goals in a men’s World Cup match, offering a strong response after earlier defeats to France and Norway.
However, the victory was not enough to guarantee qualification, as France and Norway had already secured the group’s automatic spots.
Senegal now await results from other groups to determine whether they advance as one of the best third-placed teams.
Iraq ended their campaign without a point after suffering a third straight defeat.
