Pape Gueye produced two stunning long-range strikes as Senegal hammered Iraq 5-0 in Toronto on Friday, boosting their hopes of reaching the FIFA World Cup round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.
The emphatic victory saw the Lions of Teranga finish third in Group I with three points and a goal difference of +2, keeping their qualification hopes alive ahead of the remaining group fixtures.
Habib Diarra put Senegal ahead just four minutes into the contest before Iraq’s task became even more difficult when defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off in the 13th minute.
Referee Anthony Taylor upgraded an initial yellow card to red after reviewing footage that showed Sulaka pulling back Sadio Mane as the forward raced through on goal.
Despite their numerical advantage, Senegal had to wait until the second half to take full control of the match.
Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead in the 56th minute after Lamine Camara won possession deep in Iraq territory and squared the ball for the forward to finish into an empty net.
The goal was Sarr’s third of the tournament.
Gueye then took centre stage. Three minutes after coming on, he cut inside from the right and curled a brilliant left-footed effort into the top corner beyond goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
The midfielder struck again in the 71st minute, meeting Iliman Ndiaye’s bouncing pass with a ferocious half-volley from distance that flew into the net.
Ndiaye completed the rout in the 82nd minute with another spectacular strike from outside the area as Senegal sealed their biggest win of the tournament.
Iraq, appearing at only their second World Cup and first since 1986, exited the competition without a point after losing all three group matches.
Meanwhile, elsewhere at the tournament, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan called on FIFA to uphold its principles of respect and fair play amid travel restrictions affecting Iran ahead of their Group G clash in Seattle.
In another fixture, Kaan Ayhan netted deep into stoppage time to hand Turkiye a dramatic victory over the United States, inflicting the hosts’ first defeat of the 2026 World Cup campaign.
Group G remains finely poised, with Mohamed Salah’s Egypt and Mehdi Taremi’s Iran still battling for places in the knockout rounds.
