When goal difference became an unavoidable line item in the qualification arithmetic, Senegal left little room for suspense. Less than four minutes from kickoff, Lamine Camara’s corner swung into the box, Abdoulaye Seck met it with a decisive header, and Diarra applied the final touch — the match’s first statement of intent: they wanted not only the three points, but to claw back the margin.
Red card reshapes first-half rhythm
After Sadio Mané went down following a clash with Rebin Sulaka, referee Anthony Taylor showed Iraq a red card. A man down,
Growth arc on the bench
After the break, Senegal piled on the pressure. Camara surged down the left and cut the ball back, Ismaïla Sarr was first to react and steered it into an empty net to make it 2-0. Pap Gueye, who had only recently come on, then lashed one into the top corner with his left foot—a strike that mirrored his controversial goal in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final and also earned him the man of the match award. Ten minutes later, Gueye collected a pass from Iliman Ndiaye just outside the box to add another, substitute goalkeeper Jalal Hassan's view blocked, unable to keep it out.
After Mané hit the post, Ndiaye stepped up himself and blasted into the near post to complete a five-goal rout. The numbers backed it up: Senegal had 69% possession, 27 shots with 11 on target; Iraq 31% possession, 6 shots with just 1 on target. It was the biggest margin of victory by an African side in World Cup history.
Qualification picture still to be settled
After the five-goal win, Senegal sat provisionally fifth in the third-place standings—the highest position they could realistically target before the tournament began, yet with five groups still unfinished, holding onto a top-eight spot was anything but certain. Pape Thiaw's side answered the arithmetic with ruthlessness; a second World Cup appearance was already no small feat for Iraq, but with still no points from the group stage, the disappointment was etched in the final whistle.
