Senegal Pummel Iraq 5-0 to Boost Round of 32 Ticket

Senegal surged to a dominant 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq, dramatically boosting their prospects of advancing to the World Cup knockout stage. The Lions of Teranga finished third in Group I with three points, improving their standing among third-placed teams and now awaiting results from other matches to secure a place in the last 32.

The match in Toronto saw Senegal deliver a near-perfect performance, aiming to rebound from earlier defeats against France and Norway. The decisive win pushed Scotland down to ninth in the rankings of third-placed sides, with only the top eight progressing to the next round. Senegal's strong offensive display was evident from the start, opening the scoring in just the fourth minute.

Abdoulaye Seck's header from a corner took a crucial deflection off Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra before finding the net past Iraq's goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. Iraq's challenge intensified nine minutes later when defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off by referee Anthony Taylor. The decision, confirmed by a video assistant referee review, deemed Sulaka's foul on Sadio Mané a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

Despite Mané testing the Iraqi goalkeeper from the resulting free-kick, Senegal struggled to register another shot on target in the first half. However, they capitalized on a mistake by former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal, who lost possession near the box. Lamine Camara set up Ismaila Sarr for a simple finish in the 56th minute, doubling Senegal's lead.

The goals continued to flow as substitute Pape Gueye curled a left-footed strike into the top corner just three minutes later, marking his immediate impact after coming on. Gueye added his second goal with a powerful strike in the 71st minute, and fellow substitute Iliman Ndiaye completed the 5-0 rout, leaving Senegal hopeful that this emphatic win will be enough to propel them into the next round of the tournament.