Senegal vs Iraq FIFA World Cup match result: Senegal thrash 10-man Iraq 5-0 to keep their knockout hopes alive
The Times Of India June 27, 2026 07:39 AM
When Senegal needed it most, they delivered in the most spectacular fashion imaginable. A dominant 5-0 dismantling of ten-man Iraq at Toronto Stadium on Saturday not only kept the Lions of Teranga's World Cup knockout hopes alive but it also made history, becoming the biggest ever win by an African nation at a FIFA World Cup.
Senegal started with a purpose that their first two games had lacked. Within just four minutes, the tone was set. Abdoulaye Seck's whipped delivery from the right found Habib Diarra rising highest at the back post, his header looping powerfully into the corner to give Aliou Cissé's side the perfect start. Iraq were all over the place defensively, and things went from bad to catastrophic in the 13th minute as Rebin Sulaka dragged down a clean-through Sadio Mane just outside the box and, after a VAR review upgraded the yellow card to a red, Iraq were down to ten men with over 75 minutes still to play.
Against the odds, the ten-man Mesopotamia Lions dug in bravely for the rest of the first half. A rejig in their defensive structure and a superb save from substitute goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, who came on at the break and kept the score to 1-0 at half-time, and for a moment it looked like Senegal might be frustrated.
The second half told a completely different story. Senegal simply turned on the power. Crystal Palace winger Ismaila Sarr tapped home coolly from Lamine Camara's precise cut-back in the 56th minute to double the lead, and just 89 seconds after coming off the bench, Pape Gueye curled an absolute beauty into the far corner with his very first touch. Gueye then added a stunning second in the 71st minute, a thunderous strike clocked at 132km per hour that left Hassan with no chance whatsoever.
Iliman Ndiaye put the icing on the cake in the 82nd minute, driving in from wide on the right before unleashing a vicious long-range effort that rocketed into the net, completing a rout that reverberated across the entire African continent.
As things stand, Senegal sit fifth in the best third-place standings and are on course to face England in the round of 32. Iraq bow out of their first World Cup since 1986 with nothing to show.
