Senegal 5-0 Iraq: Pape Gueye brace keeps Lions of Teranga’s knockout hopes alive
Senegal recorded the biggest-ever World Cup win by an African nation with a 5-0 thrashing of 10-man Iraq in Toronto to boost their hopes of reaching the last 32.
Knowing only a hefty victory would rescue their campaign after successive defeats to France and Norway in Group I, the Lions of Teranga delivered in spectacular fashion. The commanding victory marks the biggest win ever recorded by an African nation at a World Cup tournament, catapulting them up the third-place rankings and setting up a potential Round of 32 showdown with England.
The West African side could not have dreamed of a more explosive start, breaking the deadlock after just four minutes. A soaring header from Abdoulaye Seck took a decisive deflection off Habib Diarra to leave Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil completely stranded. In a deeply moving moment, Seck celebrated by lifting his jersey to reveal a photograph of his late son, pointing to the heavens in an emotional tribute.
Iraq’s daunting task became a mountain to climb just nine minutes later. Defender Rebin Sulaka clumsily yanked down Sadio Mane on the edge of the box as the forward raced through on goal. Following a swift VAR intervention, referee Anthony Taylor upgraded Sulaka’s initial booking to a straight red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity.
Conceding and seeing a man sent off inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour made Iraq only the second team in World Cup history to suffer such a double blow. Yet despite their numerical supremacy and relentless possession, a frustrated Senegal failed to put the game to bed before the interval, with Basil brilliantly tipping a fierce Mane free-kick around the post.
Whatever coach Pape Thiaw told his players at half-time resonated instantly, as the Lions flew out of the blocks in the second period. The pressure told in the 56th minute when Lamine Camara robustly dispossessed former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal on the edge of his own area. Camara drove into the box and squared an unselfish ball across the face of goal for Ismaïla Sarr to easily tap home.
The floodgates were officially open, and what followed was a masterclass in clinical finishing from the substitutes bench. Just moments after entering the fray, Pape Gueye produced a moment of pure individual magic, cutting inside to curl an unstoppable, bending left-footed strike into the top corner.
Gueye was not done yet. In the 71st minute, the midfielder doubled his personal tally with another venomous long-range drive that flashed past substitute goalkeeper Jalal Hassan.
Fellow substitute Iliman Ndiaye put the gloss on an unforgettable evening eight minutes from time, rifling a sharp effort in at the near post to cap off the five-goal demolition. In doing so, Sarr, Gueye, and Ndiaye became the first trio from the same team to each record a goal and an assist in a single World Cup match since Germany’s infamous 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in 2014.
While Senegal must now wait anxiously for remaining group fixtures to conclude across the tournament to confirm their qualification spot, Graham Arnold’s Iraq exit their first World Cup since 1986 without a single point to their name.
