Senegal demolish 10-man Iraq to secure World Cup knockout place

The Lions of Teranga delivered when it mattered most. After losing their opening two Group I matches to France and Norway, Senegal understood they needed a decisive result to stand any chance of progressing as one of the competition's best third-placed teams. They delivered in emphatic fashion.

Habib Diarra opened the scoring inside four minutes in Toronto, but Iraq's task became immeasurably harder when Rebin Sulaka was sent off for a foul on Sadio Mane. Referee Anthony Taylor upgraded the initial yellow card to red after reviewing the challenge, judging it denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity—making Iraq only the second team in World Cup history to concede and receive a red card within 15 minutes of kickoff, according to Sky Sports.

Senegal struggled to extend their advantage in the first half despite their numerical superiority. The breakthrough came 10 minutes into the second period. Ismaila Sarr tapped in before Pape Gueye produced a curled finish, then added a thunderous second strike that reached 132km per hour. Iliman Ndiaye capped the demolition with a late goal, becoming the first substitute in World Cup history to score, assist, make five touches in the box and complete five dribbles.

As things stand, Senegal are set to meet England in the round of 32, though final qualification will be confirmed by Sunday morning UK time.