Senegal did everything in its power and closed the group stage with an offensive display. The African team beat Iraq 5-0 on the third day of Group I of the 2026 World Cup, reached its first three points of the tournament and will now have to wait for the outcome of the rest of the sectors to find out if it can advance as one of the best third parties.

The forcefulness of the score was not enough to completely change the outlook of the group. France finished first with a perfect score and Norway secured the second direct ticket to the round of 32. Senegal was left pending other people's results.

The need to win quickly translated into intensity. Senegal came out to play the game very high and found reward in just the first minutes. After generating constant pressure on the rival area, Abdoulaye Seck appeared on a corner kick and connected with a header that, after a deflection by Habib Diarra, ended up inside the goal to open the scoring.

Iraq became even more conditioned soon after. Rebin Sulaka stopped Sadio Mané when he was escaping towards the area and, although he initially received a yellow card, the VAR review changed the decision and he ended up sent off.

With numerical superiority and advantage in the result, Senegal monopolized the ball. Idrissa Gana Gueye managed the pace of the game, Lamine Camara accelerated the transitions and the arrivals from the left side multiplied. Iraq tried to respond with long balls, but barely managed to hold on.

A second half that ended in a historic win

The Iraqi wear and tear became evident after the break. Ahmed Basil, who had needed medical attention during the first half due to back discomfort, made way for Jalal Hassan for the second half.

Senegal took advantage of that context and transformed control into a definitive difference.

In the 56th minute, a defensive failure left the ball free inside the area and Ismaïla Sarr took advantage to score the second. That goal definitively broke the game.

The changes accelerated the outcome even more. Pape Gueye came off the bench and needed just 81 seconds to score the third with a left-footed shot. Minutes later he appeared again from outside the area to score his double.

Sadio Mané came close to extending the lead with a shot against the crossbar and Nicolas Jackson also had a chance that found a response from the Iraqi goalkeeper.

The closing came in the 83rd minute. Iliman Ndiaye received space and hit a powerful shot towards the right corner to seal the 5-0.

The victory left an unprecedented mark: for the first time an African team managed to score five goals or more in a World Cup match.

While France waits to know its rival for the duel on June 30 and Norway has already defined its match against the Ivory Coast in Dallas, Senegal was waiting on the calculator and the results of the rest of the tournament to know if this reaction came in time.

Before the start of the Senegal meeting, a minute of silence was held for the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela.