An early goal and a red card settle the contest
Both sides needed a win — and a big one — to keep their hopes of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams in Group I alive. Senegal didn''t waste time, going ahead in the 4th minute when Habib Diarra got the final touch on Abdoulaye Seck''s headed effort. Iraq''s situation worsened further in the 13th minute, when a VAR review saw referee Anthony Taylor send off Rebin Sulaka for denying Sadio Mane a clear goalscoring opportunity. Iraq became only the second team in World Cup history to concede a goal and have a player sent off within the first 15 minutes of a match, after Colombia against Japan in 2018.
Ten men hold out until the break
Despite their numerical advantage and early lead, Senegal couldn''t find a second goal for the rest of the first half, with Iraq defending bravely to reach halftime without conceding again.
A goal-fest after the restart
Iraq''s resistance finally broke ten minutes into the second half. In the 56th minute, Ismaila Sarr pounced on a mistake from Zidane Iqbal to finish off a pass from Lamine Camara. Moments later, substitute Pape Gueye curled in a stunning effort just 89 seconds after coming on, and soon added a second with a thunderous strike clocked at over 130 km/h. After Sadio Mane crashed a header off the crossbar, Iliman Ndiaye rounded off the scoring at 5-0 — the biggest World Cup win in history for an African nation.
What it means for both sides
With three points and a healthy goal difference, Senegal significantly boosted their chances of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams, with a likely round of 32 meeting against England. For Iraq, playing at their first World Cup since 1986, the tournament ends at the group stage.