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There have been comeback victories at this FIFA World Cup 2026™, and there have been comfortable wins. What unfolded at BMO Field in Toronto on June 27 was something else entirely. Senegal needed a massive win to have any hope of advancing as one of the tournament’s best third-placed sides. They delivered a 5-0 demolition of Iraq, the biggest winning margin ever recorded by an African nation at a World Cup. The Lions of Teranga had lost their first two group games. In game three, they were extraordinary.
The Early Strike That Started It All (4′)
Senegal needed a fast start, and they got one. A deflected effort from Idrissa Gueye earned a corner in the fourth minute. Lamine Camara whipped it in, Abdoulaye Seck nodded it across the six-yard box, and Habib Diarra was on hand to bundle the ball over the line. One-nil inside four minutes. The crowd inside BMO Field — thousands of them rooting for the underdogs — sensed something special might be building.
Red Card Changes the Equation (13′)
The match shifted decisively nine minutes later. Rebin Sulaka pulled back Sadio Mané as he bore down on goal just outside the penalty area. Referee Anthony Taylor initially produced a yellow card, but after a VAR review, upgraded it to a straight red — Sulaka had denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. Iraq, already chasing the game, were down to ten men before the quarter-hour mark.
Iraq’s First Half Resistance
To their considerable credit, Iraq did not simply capitulate. Manager Jalal Hassan sent on Manaf Younis to shore up the backline, and goalkeeper Ahmed Basil produced two excellent saves — including pushing a fierce Sadio Mané free-kick away at full stretch — to keep the deficit at a single goal at the interval. It felt unsustainable, but Iraq had made Senegal work. The second half would tell a very different story.
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Second Half: Four Goals, Twenty-Six Minutes
Iraq’s situation worsened immediately after the when Basil was forced off due to injury and replaced by backup goalkeeper Jalal Hassan. It proved to be the moment the dam broke.
56′ — Ismaïla Sarr made it 2-0. Former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal gave the ball away cheaply in his own half. Lamine Camara intercepted and slid a pass through to Sarr, who tapped in from close range — his third goal of the tournament.
59′ — Pape Gueye had been on the pitch for just 89 seconds when he made it 3-0. The Villarreal midfielder picked up the ball on the edge of the area, shifted inside on his left foot, and curled a stunning long-range strike into the top corner. Barely two minutes as a substitute. One moment of brilliance.
71′ — Gueye struck again for his brace. The ball dropped invitingly outside the area, and he hammered a vicious half-volley into the top corner. No goalkeeper was stopping it. 4-0.
82′ — Iliman Ndiaye put the final touch on a historic evening. He picked up a pass from Sarr and smashed a fierce strike from 20 yards out into the net. Final score: Senegal 5-0 Iraq.
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What Comes Next
Iraq bow out of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ having lost all three group games, but they leave having shown real resilience in the first half of this match, playing nearly an hour with ten men. That counts for something. For Senegal, three points and a final goal difference of +2 puts them fifth in the third-place team rankings as things stand. The remaining Group G through L matches must conclude before their fate is officially confirmed — but the signs are very promising. A potential Round of 32 clash against England in Atlanta is one of the more tantalising possibilities on the horizon.
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