Five-Star Senegal Demolishes Ten-Man Iraq 5-0 in Group I Finale

Senegal made African football history on Thursday, routing Iraq 5-0 at the Toronto Stadium to finish third in World Cup Group I and keep their knockout stage hopes alive. The Lions of Teranga became the first-ever African nation to score five goals in a single World Cup match.

The tone was set just four minutes in when Mouhamadou Diarra tapped home the opener. Iraq’s uphill battle turned into a mountain in the 13th minute when defender Rebin Sulaka was shown a straight red card following a VAR review, leaving his team to play with ten men for over 75 minutes.

Senegal capitalized fully after the break. Ismaïla Sarr converted Lamine Camara's cross in the 56th minute to make it 2-0. Substitute Pape Gueye then took center stage, smashing a stunning 25-yard volley into the top corner in the 59th minute before adding his second goal of the night in the 71st minute.

Iliman Ndiaye capped off the clinical 29-shot performance with a close-range finish in the 82nd minute. Senegal dominates the stat sheet with 69% possession, now awaiting other results to secure passage to the Round of 32 as a top-ranked third-place team.