Pape Gueye storm: Senegal cruise past Iraq 5-0

In the final Group I match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Senegal beat Iraq 5-0 at BMO Field in Toronto for their first win of the tournament. The two superb goals of Pape Gueye, who came on from the bench in the second half, were the highlight of the night. With this result, Senegal reached 3 points and finished third in the group, waiting to see whether they reach the round of 32 among the eight best third-placed teams, depending on results in the other groups.

The first half saw an early goal and a red card. In the 4th minute, off Lamine Camara's corner, after Abdoulaye Seck's header the ball deflected off Habib Diarra into the net to put Senegal 1-0 up. In the 13th minute, Rebin Sulaka, who pulled down Sadio Mané as the last man, was shown a red card after a lengthy VAR review, leaving Iraq with 10 men. But despite their numerical advantage, Senegal could not extend the lead in the first half.

In the second half, Senegal poured in goals. In the 56th minute, on a chance set up by Lamine Camara, Ismaïla Sarr doubled the lead. Pape Gueye, who came on right after, scored a beautiful finish into the far corner from outside the box off Sarr's assist in the 59th minute. The same player scored his second in the 71st minute, off Iliman Ndiaye's pass, to take the score to 4-0.

Senegal found a fifth in the 82nd minute: this time Iliman Ndiaye cut in from the right and fired a superb strike into the net from around 30 yards. The statistics showed Senegal's complete dominance: the hosts overwhelmed their opponents in possession (69%), expected goals (3.02-0.18) and total shots (28-6). The match, refereed by Anthony Taylor, was watched by 43,036 fans. Senegal, lifted in the final game after losing to France and Norway, significantly strengthened their goal difference to keep their qualification hopes alive; their future in the tournament will become clear based on the results of the other group matches.

Image: Sports Mole