Senegal produced their most convincing performance of the tournament as they swept aside 10-man Iraq 5-0 in their final Group I match, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup Round of 32. Habib Diarra opened the scoring early before Ismaïla Sarr, Pape Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye completed a ruthless second-half display.
The game turned heavily in Senegal’s favour after just 13 minutes when Iraq defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off for a foul on Sadio Mané. Already behind after Diarra’s fourth-minute opener, Iraq were forced to play almost the entire contest with 10 men and never truly recovered.
Senegal were patient before the break, but the floodgates opened in the second half. Sarr doubled the lead in the 56th minute, a goal that also made him Senegal’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup. Three minutes later, substitute Pape Gueye made it 3-0, before adding his second in the 71st minute.
Iliman Ndiaye then rounded off the scoring late on, giving Senegal a result that could yet prove decisive in the battle for one of the best third-placed spots.
For Iraq, the defeat brought a painful end to their World Cup campaign. Graham Arnold’s side finished with three defeats from three, and the early red card summed up a tournament in which too many moments went against them.
Senegal, meanwhile, will now wait on other results. They have given themselves a chance — and after this five-star performance, they will feel they still have a place in the knockouts
