Thiaw Calls for Improvement Despite Dominant Victory
Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw acknowledged that his team still has areas to improve, even after a commanding 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq in their FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match in Toronto on Friday. The win boosted Senegal's chances of reaching the knockout stage, while ending Iraq's hopes of advancing.
"Even though we scored five goals, there are still improvements to be made," Thiaw told reporters, as per Reuters.
Senegal now faces an anxious wait to see if they will progress to the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams. Their fate will be determined after all group-stage matches conclude. "Now we have to wait. We have three points secured. There are other matches, so we hope Senegal can qualify," Thiaw added.
Early Goal and Red Card Shape the Match
Senegal made a flying start, opening the scoring in the fourth minute. Abdoulaye Seck's header from a corner took a decisive deflection 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 after pulling back Sadio Mane on the edge of the box. The decision was confirmed following a VAR review for denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. Mane tested Basil from the resulting free-kick, but Senegal could not add a second goal in the first half despite their numerical advantage.
Second-Half Onslaught Seals the Win
The breakthrough came in the 56th minute after Zidane Iqbal was dispossessed on the edge of his own box. Lamine Camara set up Ismaila Sarr for a simple finish to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, Senegal extended their lead spectacularly as substitute Pape Gueye curled a stunning left-foot strike into the top corner with his first involvement after coming on.
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 in the 82nd minute to round off a commanding performance.
Senegal's Qualification Hopes and Mane's Contribution
The result leaves Senegal in a strong position to progress, with their superior goal difference potentially proving decisive in the race for qualification. Thiaw praised winger Sadio Mane's team spirit, highlighting his strong contribution on the pitch and his valuable work in defence. "He has this team spirit... he does great things on the pitch, he is very helpful defence-wise," Thiaw said of Mane.
