Senegal kept alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup Round of 32 as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams after dismantling Iraq 5-0 in their final Group I match on Friday, with the Lions of Teranga now awaiting results elsewhere to determine their fate.
Needing a convincing win to keep alive hopes of progressing as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams, the Lions of Teranga produced their best display of the competition, overwhelming an Iraq side that played most of the match with 10 men.
Senegal struck inside four minutes when a goalmouth scramble ended with the ball deflecting into the net off midfielder Habib Diarra after defender Abdoulaye Seck’s header caused problems for the Iraqi defence. The goal initially appeared to belong to Seck before being credited to Diarra.
Iraq’s task became significantly harder in the 13th minute when defender Rebin Sulaka was shown a red card for hauling down Sadio Mane as the Senegal captain raced through on goal, reducing the Asian side to 10 men for the remainder of the contest.
Despite Iraq’s spirited resistance, Senegal eventually turned their dominance into goals after the interval.
Pape Matar Sarr doubled the advantage in the 57th minute before substitute Pape Gueye made an immediate impact, scoring just seconds after coming off the bench in the 59th minute. Gueye added his second and Senegal’s fourth in the 71st minute as Iraq struggled to cope with the relentless pressure.
The rout was completed in the 83rd minute when Iliman Ndiaye unleashed a long-range effort to make it 5-0 and seal a memorable victory for the African side.
The result marked the first time an African nation had scored five goals in a men’s World Cup match and represented a fitting response from Senegal after defeats to France and Norway in their opening two Group I fixtures.
However, the victory was not enough to secure passage to the knockout stage, with France and Norway having already claimed the group’s automatic qualification places before kick-off. Iraq also exited the tournament after suffering a third consecutive defeat.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
