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Brian Sciaretta Soccer Analyst
Senegal kept its hopes of reaching the knockouts alive on Friday with a comprehensive 5-0 win over Iraq in Toronto.
It was the result the team needed as it moved the Lions of Teranga into third place in Group I; now it must wait for the remaining groups to finish before it knows for certain whether it is one of the top eight third-place teams at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Senegal will leave the game at least knowing it did everything it could today to give itself its best chance to advance.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
1. Perfect Start For Senegal
(Photo by Ezra Shaw – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Senegal and Iraq came into this game without a point as both lost to France and Norway. This expanded version of the tournament is more forgiving as eight of 12 third-place teams advance to the round of 32. To have any chance of getting there, however, both teams knew they had to win, likely by a lot of goals, to improve their goal differential tiebreaker.
After just a few minutes, it became clear that Senegal was likely going to win this game. The biggest question was whether it could dramatically improve its goal differential to the point where it was the top third-place finisher with three points.
Senegal got the start it needed when Habib Diarra headed home a corner kick in just the fourth minute.
Habib Diarra gives Senegal early lead with goal vs Iraq | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
In the 13th minute, Iraq defender Rebin Sulaka was judged to have brought down former Liverpool forward Sadio Mané, who had a clear path to goal. After a long VAR review, it was determined that Sulaka fouled Mané by pulling his shirt from behind in what was a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. By rule, Sulaka was then sent off.
With the game still in its early stages, Senegal was up a goal and up a man in a game it needed to win likely by a large margin. The start could not have gone any better for Senegal, which now seemed to be off to the races.
2. Red Card Decreased First-Falf Intensity
(Photo by Vaughn Ridley – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
After the red card, the entire flow of the game changed. Despite being up a man, the Lions of Teranga were lacking in both the urgency and execution they showed earlier in the game. Immediately after the red card, Mané had a free kick that was well saved by Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil Fadhil (who would later leave the game with an injury).
After that, Senegal did not have another shot on target the rest of the first half. The intensity of the game completely drained, and the crowd grew very quiet.
At halftime and in the opening minutes of the second half, it seemed as if the game was going to turn into a dull grind without many opportunities.
3. Thiaw’s Substitutions Changed Everything
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Immediately after Iraq gifted Senegal another goal and a 2-0 lead in the 56th minute, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw decided to make a wave of substitutions to go after the blowout win it would likely need. Pape Gueye, Iliman Ndiaye, Nicolas Jackson, and Pathé Ciss all came into the game to bring more energy to the game.
With these players, Senegal switched to a more aggressive formation as its wingers moved further up the field into the attack.
It paid off in a major way, specifically through Gueye, who scored two fantastic goals with powerful shots. The first was just minutes after coming on in the 59th minute on an assist from Crystal Palace forward Ismaïla Sarr. Then, in the 71st minute, it was Gueye with another goal on an assist from Ndiaye.
From there, the rout was on, and it was completed in the 82nd on a goal from Ndiaye, which was assisted by Gueye, who plays for Villarreal in Spain. That completed the score at 5-0.
Senegal's Iliman Ndiaye scores goal to seal win vs Iraq | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
The stats from the three 57th-minute substitutes were beyond impressive. They created chance after chance, but most importantly, it was the three goals, two of which were also assisted by substitutes.
Specifically, Gueye was the best player on the field, who also had the biggest impact on the score.
4. Iraq Was Its Own Worst Enemy
(Photo by Cole Burston / AFP via Getty Images)
Iraq will now exit the tournament with three losses in three group stage games. Expectations were low for Graham Arnold’s team because this was one of the most challenging groups of the entire World Cup.
While Iraq had to face three very powerful teams in Norway, France, and Senegal, its most difficult opponent was likely itself. That will make this tournament very difficult to accept, because it did not play its best and did not compete as well as it should have.
There was a point in both its games against Norway and France when Iraq was playing well and very much in the game. In those games, Iraq became undone through careless passing out of the back that gifted Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé with the easiest goals possible.
Then, against Senegal, it was a wave of mistakes that did the team in. First, it was the red card. Then, it was Senegal’s second goal that originated when Iraq midfielder Zidane Iqbal was careless with the ball just outside his own box and lost possession to Senegal’s Lamine Camara. Camara then set up Sarr for his third goal of the tournament.
Iraq was likely never going to advance out of Group I, but it did not need to gift wrap numerous goals to its opponents.
Senegal vs Iraq Highlights | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
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