Senegal ended their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I campaign in style with a commanding 5-0 victory over Iraq in a one-sided encounter at Toronto Stadium on Friday night.
The Teranga Lions, who had suffered back-to-back defeats to France (3-1) and Norway (3-2), came into the match determined to secure all three points and strengthen their hopes of advancing to the 32-team knockout stage as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
Senegal made the perfect start when Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the fourth minute. The midfielder powered home a header from close range after defender Abdoulaye Seck flicked on a well-delivered corner from Sadio Mané.
The West Africans continued to dominate and were handed a numerical advantage in the 13th minute when Iraq defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off for denying Mané an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Referee Anthony Taylor initially produced a yellow card but upgraded it to a straight red after consulting the pitch-side VAR monitor.
Mané remained a constant threat and almost doubled Senegal’s lead in first-half stoppage time, but his powerful effort was deflected behind for a corner.
Despite several chances before the interval, Senegal had to wait until the second half to extend their lead.
Ismaïla Sarr made it 2-0 in the 55th minute with a composed finish before Papa Gueye scored a stunning long-range strike four minutes later to put the result beyond doubt.
Gueye grabbed his second goal of the evening in the 71st minute with another powerful effort that left the Iraqi goalkeeper with no chance.
Substitute Iliman Ndiaye completed the rout in the 82nd minute, calmly finishing to seal an impressive 5-0 victory for the Teranga Lions.
Senegal must now wait to learn whether their three-point tally and goal difference will be enough to see them qualify for the knockout stage as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
In the other Group I fixture played on Friday night, France secured top spot with a convincing 4-1 victory over Norway to finish the group with a perfect nine points. Norway claimed second place on six points, while Senegal finished third and Iraq ended bottom without a point.
