Scotland’s dream of advancing to the World Cup knockout stage suffered another setback as Senegal stormed to a commanding 5-0 win over 10-man Iraq in Toronto, moving into the top eight among the best third-placed teams.

Habib Diarra opened the scoring just four minutes into the match before Iraq’s Rebin Sulaka was sent off in the 13th minute for bringing down Sadio Mane, effectively ending Iraq’s hopes.

Crystal Palace forward Ismaila Sarr contributed a goal and an assist, while substitute Pape Gueye netted an impressive second-half brace. Iliman Ndiaye added a late fifth goal to boost Senegal’s goal difference significantly.

Diarra’s opener came after Abdoulaye Seck’s powerful header was redirected into the net by the Sunderland midfielder, giving Senegal the early lead.

Things turned worse for Iraq when English referee Anthony Taylor, after initially showing Sulaka a yellow card, reviewed the incident on the monitor and upgraded it to a red for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

Sarr doubled Senegal’s advantage four minutes before the hour mark, calmly converting Lamine Camara’s squared pass from close range. The strike made Sarr his nation’s all-time top World Cup goalscorer with four goals, three of them coming in this tournament.

Gueye made an immediate impact, scoring just 89 seconds after coming on and adding another in the 71st minute. Fellow substitute Ndiaye, who had earlier provided an assist, sealed the rout with a thunderous finish past the helpless Hassan eight minutes from time.

Senegal’s emphatic victory lifted them to fifth in the ranking of third-placed sides, pushing Scotland out of the top eight and leaving them on the verge of an early World Cup exit.

Scotland could be eliminated before the weekend if results in Groups H and G go against them. To stay in contention for the knockout rounds ahead of Saturday’s final group fixtures, they need Spain to beat Uruguay and Egypt to overcome Iran.

Even if those results favour them, Scotland still face a tough route to qualification, depending heavily on outcomes from Groups L, K, and J.