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Senegal 5-0 Iraq | Group I, Match 62 | June 26, 2026 | Toronto Stadium (BMO Field), Toronto, Canada
The result was historic in its own right. This is the first time an African nation has ever scored five goals in a World Cup match. After losing their first two group games against France and Norway, Senegal finished with a performance full of pace, quality, and clinical finishing.
The Starting Lineups
Senegal started with Yehvann Diouf in goal behind a back four of Krépin Diatta, Abdoulaye Seck, Moussa Niakhaté, and Ismail Jakobs. In midfield, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Habib Diarra, and Lamine Camara provided balance and creativity, while the attacking trio featured Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr, and Mbaye.
Iraq lined up with Ahmed Basil in goal, with Frans Putros, Akam Hashem, Rebin Sulaka, and Merchas Doski in defense. The midfield consisted of Amir Al-Ammari, Montader Jasim, Ibrahim Bayesh, and Zidane Iqbal, while Ahmed Qasem partnered captain Aymen Al-Hamadi in attack.
One of the most striking selection details came from Senegal’s bench. Ibrahim Mbaye was only 18 years and 153 days old and this was his first World Cup start. He became the youngest Senegalese player to ever start a match at the tournament and the fifth-youngest African player to do so. He was lively, comfortable on the ball, and moving with purpose throughout.
GOAL 1 — Habib Diarra, 4′: The Perfect Start
Diarra broke the deadlock in the fourth minute when he deflected Abdoulaye Seck’s header from Lamine Camara’s corner beyond Ahmed Basil. The move started with a well-delivered cross into the penalty area, where Diarra found space and powered a header beyond the Iraqi goalkeeper.
It was exactly the start Senegal needed. After two difficult defeats, scoring inside four minutes settled the team and immediately put Iraq on the back foot. Senegal’s fans inside Toronto Stadium erupted.
The Red Card That Changed Everything
Just nine minutes later, the match swung even further in Senegal’s favor. Iraq were reduced to 10 men when Rebin Sulaka’s yellow card for stopping Sadio Mane’s run was upgraded to a red after a VAR review.
Mane was clean through on goal and about to fire off from right in front of goal when Sulaka brought him down. There was a defender chasing back but he was never getting there in time. It was a straight red, no question about it. Sulaka walked off shaking his head but he knew what he had done. Iraq were down to 10 men, and this was a huge problem for them.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Iraq defended with surprising resilience and denied Senegal a second goal before halftime.
A Frustrating First Half for Senegal
Having gone ahead early and gained a man advantage, Senegal should have dominated the first half completely. However, they flew out of the blocks but kept losing the ball. The early dominance faded fast. Mane in particular wasted several good positions. Former Liverpool star Mane was guilty of profligacy on several occasions as Senegal sought to double their lead.
The half-time score was 1-0. Senegal had controlled most of the opening 45 minutes, enjoyed a numerical advantage, but had been unable to add a second goal before the break. Iraq defended with determination and kept their hopes alive heading into the interval.
GOAL 2 — Ismaïla Sarr, 56′: Iraq Hand Senegal the Goal
The second half brought an immediate change in Senegal’s quality, and the second goal arrived through an Iraqi mistake. Sarr made no mistake in the 56th minute by prodding home a simple finish from Camara’s pull-back after Zidane Iqbal had been dispossessed just outside the area.
Iraq handed it to them on a plate. Iqbal was caught napping outside his box and Camara was there to nick it. He rolled it across and Sarr dived in to finish. Iraq were making Senegal’s job far too easy at that point. It was Sarr’s third goal of the tournament, and it opened the floodgates.
GOAL 3 — Pape Gueye, 59′: A Worldie From the Bench
Pape Gueye came on as a substitute in the 57th minute, replacing Habib Diarra. He took just two minutes to make an extraordinary impact. Gueye made it 3-0 just before the hour mark with his first involvement in the game, spectacularly bending the ball into the top-left corner as Iraq were again punished for losing the ball inside their own half.
He picked it up on the right side of the box, took one touch with his right foot and flicked it onto his left. Then he just unleashed it, curling it into the far corner with the keeper having no chance. It was a worldie. Senegal were in absolute cruise control.
GOAL 4 — Pape Gueye, 71′: He Does It Again
Gueye doubled his tally with a vicious 71st-minute strike as the same man took advantage of increasingly haphazard Iraq defending. Ndiaye flicked a header into the box and Gueye met it with a clean strike that flew into the top corner. He was absolutely unstoppable in that second half.
Two goals in 12 minutes from a substitute who had only just stepped off the bench. It was one of the most impactful cameo performances of the entire tournament.
GOAL 5 — Iliman Ndiaye, 82′: The Perfect Finish
Mane nearly made it five shortly before Ndiaye’s goal. Mane hit the post and substitute Nicolas Jackson was denied by the goalkeeper, but the fifth goal was not far behind. There was nothing Iraq’s substitute goalkeeper could do as Ndiaye surged to the edge of the box and unleashed an unerring drive to make it 5-0.
Ndiaye collected it wide on the right, drove toward goal, and from 30 yards decided to test the keeper. His strike rocketed into the net, a pure effort that the goalkeeper had no chance of saving. It was a fitting way to cap off a historic afternoon.
A Record for African Football
The significance of the scoreline extended well beyond the group stage. Senegal became the first African side to score five goals in a World Cup match, a record that reflects both the quality of their performance and the discipline they showed once the game opened up after halftime.
The victory put Senegal in fifth place in the third-place standings, as they seek to be one of the eight third-place teams to advance to the knockout stage. Iraq, meanwhile, were eliminated from the tournament.
What Comes Next
Senegal now wait anxiously to discover whether their three points and their dramatically improved goal difference will be enough to earn them a place among the eight best third-placed teams. Senegal will wait to see if their knockout place is confirmed as they seek to replicate the famous run to the quarter-finals that made the 2002 generation iconic.
For Iraq, the tournament ends with three defeats and zero goals scored, but they can take pride in how they competed at their first World Cup since 1986. Their journey alone was a historic achievement for Iraqi football.
