Senegal Makes History with 5-0 Victory Over Iraq
Senegal became the first African team in FIFA World Cup history to score five goals in a single match, thrashing Iraq 5-0 in Toronto on Friday. The win eliminated Iraq from the tournament and put Senegal in a strong position to advance to the round of 32.
Ismaila Sarr also etched his name in the record books, becoming the first Senegal player to both score and provide an assist in a World Cup match. According to OptaJoe, Sarr is now Senegal's outright top scorer in World Cup history with four goals.
Three Players Achieve Rare Feat
Sarr, Pape Gueye, and Iliman Ndiaye each scored and provided an assist for Senegal. This marked the first time three players from the same team achieved this in a World Cup match since Germany's 7-1 victory over Brazil in 2014, when Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira, and Thomas Muller accomplished the feat.
Ndiaye also made history as the first player in World Cup history to come on as a substitute and then score a goal, assist a goal, have five touches in the opposition box, and make five dribbles.
Early Dominance and Red Card
Senegal took the lead in the fourth minute when Abdoulaye Seck's header from a corner deflected off Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra, wrong-footing Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. Iraq's task became significantly harder in the 13th minute when defender Rebin Sulaka was shown a straight red card for pulling back Sadio Mane on the edge of the box. The decision was confirmed after a VAR review for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Second-Half Onslaught
Despite their numerical advantage, Senegal could not add a second goal in the first half. The breakthrough came in the 56th minute after Zidane Iqbal was dispossessed on the edge of his own box, allowing Lamine Camara to set up Ismaila Sarr for a simple finish to make it 2-0.
Three minutes later, substitute Pape Gueye curled a stunning left-foot strike into the top corner with his first involvement. Gueye struck again in the 71st minute with a powerful long-range effort to complete a quickfire brace. Another substitute, Iliman Ndiaye, added the fifth to round off a commanding performance.
Implications for Qualification
The result leaves Senegal in a strong position to progress, with its superior goal difference potentially proving decisive in the race for qualification. Iraq, meanwhile, are eliminated from the tournament after failing to secure a win in their group.
