7M - Senegal 5-0 Iraq: Lions of Teranga reach World Cup knockout driving distance for first time since 2002 with comfortable win

Senegal took a massive stride toward securing a spot in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup after easing to a historic 5-0 victory over a 10-man Iraq squad in Toronto. Having both suffered previous defeats against Group I opponents France and Norway, Senegal desperately needed a heavy, multi-goal win to keep their hopes alive as one of the best third-placed finishers. They accomplished that mission in style, becoming the first African nation ever to score five times in a single World Cup fixture.

The Lions of Teranga enjoyed a dream start when Habib Diarra opened the scoring just four minutes into the contest, converting after Abdoulaye Seck header met Lamine Camara corner delivery. Iraq saw their task grow significantly harder when defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off following a video assistant referee review. Referee Anthony Taylor initially cautioned Sulaka for a tactical pull on Sadio Mane, but upgraded the penalty to a straight red card. Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil pulled off a fine stop to deny Mane from the resulting free-kick, but picked up an injury during the sequence and had to be replaced by Jalal Hassan at the halftime interval.

While the Asian side held firm for the remainder of the initial period, Senegal broke away after the break. Ismaila Sarr poked home a simple finish from Camara pass in the 56th minute after Zidane Iqbal lost possession outside the box. Substitute Pape Gueye then took center stage, unleashing a stunning long-range curler into the top-left corner with his first touch of the game, before capitalizing on erratic defending to drive home his second goal in the 71st minute. Illiman Ndiaye completed the commanding rout with a superb individual run and fine finish, moving Senegal to a positive two-goal difference as they await formal confirmation of their knockout progression.