Omanghana
Senegal produced a historic performance at Toronto Stadium in Canada, cruising to a commanding 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq to keep their 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout hopes alive. The emphatic win saw the Lions of Teranga become the first African nation to score five goals in a single FIFA World Cup match.
The result secured third place in Group I for Senegal, while Iraq’s campaign ended in disappointment. Making their first World Cup appearance since 1986, the Asian nation finished the tournament without a point after suffering three consecutive defeats.
Senegal made the perfect start, breaking the deadlock just four minutes into the contest. From a well-delivered corner kick, Abdoulaye Seck’s header was deflected into the net by Habib Diarra, leaving the Iraqi defense with no chance to recover.
Iraq’s task became significantly more difficult in the 13th minute when defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off following a VAR review. The referee upgraded the initial decision to a straight red card after determining that Sulaka had denied Sadio Mané a clear goal-scoring opportunity, reducing Iraq to 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Despite enjoying a numerical advantage, Senegal struggled to convert their dominance into goals for much of the first hour. Iraq remained resilient until the 56th minute, when Lamine Camara delivered a precise pass to Ismaïla Sarr, who calmly finished from close range to double Senegal’s advantage.
The floodgates then opened. Just 89 seconds after coming off the bench, Pape Gueye announced his arrival in spectacular fashion. The midfielder cut inside from the right before unleashing a stunning left-footed strike into the top corner in the 59th minute to make it 3-0.
Gueye completed his brace in the 71st minute, reacting quickest to a loose bouncing ball on the edge of the penalty area before firing home Senegal’s fourth goal of the evening.
The historic milestone arrived in the 83rd minute when Iliman Ndiaye capitalized on a disorganized Iraqi defense, driving an emphatic finish into the back of the net to complete the 5-0 rout and etch Senegal into the FIFA World Cup record books as the first African team to score five goals in a single World Cup match.
The convincing victory keeps Senegal’s hopes of advancing to the Round of 32 alive as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams, while Iraq bows out after a difficult return to the global stage.
Source: Omanghana
