Pape Gueye Stars as Senegal Crush Iraq 5-0

Senegal kept their FIFA World Cup campaign alive with a dominant 5-0 victory over Iraq in their final Group I match in Toronto, giving themselves a chance to qualify for the Round of 32 as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.

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The Lions of Teranga made the perfect start, taking the lead in the fourth minute when Habib Diarra applied the finishing touch after Abdoulaye Seck headed a corner into the danger area.

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Iraq's hopes suffered a major setback soon after as defender Rebin Sulaka was shown a red card for denying Sadio Mane a clear goalscoring opportunity, forcing the Asian side to play with ten men for the remainder of the match.

Senegal doubled their advantage early in the second half after a costly mistake by Zidane Iqbal allowed Lamine Camara to set up Ismaila Sarr, who netted his third goal of the tournament.

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Substitute Pape Gueye made an instant impact, scoring just 89 seconds after coming on before adding another superb strike 20 minutes later. Iliman Ndiaye completed the rout with a stunning long-range finish to seal a convincing 5-0 triumph.

Pape Gueye takes the honours as your Superior Player of the Match. 👏

#FIFAWorldCup #SuperiorPOTM pic.twitter.com/M4Ozvu95gC

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 26, 2026

Pape Gueye was named Player of the Match after his brilliant two-goal cameo.

After the match, Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw said:
"We won 5-0, and I think it was well deserved. The team handled this match well. It wasn't easy at first because we were playing against a direct rival who wanted this victory too. Our future is no longer in our own hands. We will have to wait and see. But we got the job done."

Despite the emphatic win, Senegal must now wait for results elsewhere to determine whether they progress to the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.