Senegal boosted their hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage with a commanding 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq in their final Group I match.
Having lost their opening two games, the Teranga Lions needed a convincing win to keep alive their chances of qualifying as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams. They delivered their biggest-ever World Cup victory with an impressive display.
Habib Diarra gave Senegal the perfect start by scoring from a corner in the fourth minute.
Iraq’s task became even more difficult nine minutes later when Rebn Sulaka was shown a red card for bringing down Sadio Mane as the forward raced through on goal.
Despite their numerical advantage, Senegal had to wait until the 56th minute to double their lead through Ismaila Sarr.
Pape Gueye then struck twice to put the result beyond doubt before Iliman Ndiaye capped off the dominant performance with a stunning goal.
The win leaves Senegal on three points with a positive goal difference, but they must now wait for results from other groups to determine whether they advance to the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.
In the other Group I fixture, France sealed top spot with a 5-1 victory over Norway.
Ousmane Dembele starred with a first-half hat-trick as France finished the group with a perfect nine points, while Norway, who made 10 changes to their starting lineup, ended the group in second place despite the heavy defeat.
