Senegal thrash Iraq 5-0 with a Pape Gueye brace but fall short of the last 16
Habib Diarra, Ismaïla Sarr, a Pape Gueye brace and Iliman Ndiaye sealed Senegal's rout, though despite the emphatic win they finish third in Group I at the 2026 World Cup.
Senegal thrashed Iraq 5-0 at BMO Field in Toronto, the Canadian venue for the 2026 World Cup holding 43,036 spectators and the regular home of Toronto FC, to close the third round of Group I. The rout came at this 48-team World Cup staged by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The Lions of Teranga struck very early. In the 4th minute, Habib Diarra headed Senegal in front from an Abdoulaye Seck cross. The game tilted decisively in the 13th, when Iraq were reduced to ten by the dismissal of Rebin Sulaka, a blow from which the Asian side never recovered.
With a man advantage, Senegal sealed it in the second half. In the 56th minute, Ismaïla Sarr extended the lead from a Lamine Camara pass; three minutes later, in the 59th, Pape Gueye made it three assisted by Sarr himself. The midfielder struck again in the 72nd after an Iliman Ndiaye assist, and the forward completed the five-star display in the 82nd from a Pape Gueye pass.
Pape Thiaw lined Senegal up with Mory Diaw in goal and an attacking trident featuring Sadio Mané, while Graham Arnold could not stem the bleeding from an Iraq side hampered by Sulaka's early red (13'). The referee also booked Abdoulaye Seck (17') and Pape Gueye (81') for Senegal, plus Amir Al-Ammari (76') and Merchas Doski (90') for Iraq. Pape Gueye, with two goals and an assist, was named player of the match.
Despite the rout, the maths did not favour Senegal: the Africans close Group I third on three points, behind an unstoppable France and Norway, and must await the comparison between the best third-placed teams to stay alive at the 2026 World Cup. Iraq bow out of the tournament bottom and without a point, with three defeats in three matches.