Senegal vs Iraq

Senegal could not have asked for a better start. Habib Diarra opened the scoring with just four minutes on the clock, converting after a flowing move involving A. Seck. It was still 11 vs 11 at that stage.

Iraq's hopes unravelled further in the 13th minute. Defender Rebin Solaka hauled down Sadio Mané as the last man, and referee Anthony Taylor — after a VAR review upgraded his initial yellow — produced a red card. Iraq were down to ten with 77 minutes still to play.

Despite the numerical advantage Senegal laboured through the remainder of the first half. A. Seck was booked, and the scoreline stayed 1-0 at the break. Iraq even made a change at half-time, swapping goalkeeper Jalal Hassan Hachim for Ahmed Basil.

The floodgates opened after the interval. Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead in the 56th minute after Lamine Camara forced a turnover in the Iraq box, drove to the byline and cut back for Sarr to tap into an empty net — his third goal of the tournament.

Then came the Pape Gueye show. Introduced just moments earlier, Gueye took a pass from Sarr near the right corner of the box in the 59th minute, shifted left and curled a left-footed strike into the top corner beyond Basil's dive. Twelve minutes later he struck again: running onto Iliman Ndiaye's bouncing feed and smashing a half-volley past the rooted goalkeeper.

Iliman Ndiaye rounded off the scoring in the 82nd minute, exchanging passes with Gueye before drilling home from distance.

Rebin Solaka's 13th-minute red card — upgraded from yellow after a VAR monitor review — effectively ended the contest as a competitive fixture. Iraq had already conceded in the 4th minute and the dismissal left them with a mountain they could never climb. Before the red card, the match was finely poised. Afterwards, Senegal's 69% possession and 28-shot tally told the story of a one-sided rout.

Pape Gueye (Senegal) — Man of the match and it is not close. Two goals in 13 second-half minutes, both from outside the box of the highest quality. The first was a bending curler into the top corner; the second a thunderous half-volley. He also assisted Ndiaye's goal. Booked late on, but this was his night.

Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) — Scored Senegal's second and assisted Gueye's first. Three tournament goals now for the Crystal Palace winger, who was a constant menace down the right flank.

Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal) — Assisted Gueye's second and scored the fifth with a composed long-range finish. His introduction at half-time (on for I. Mbaye) helped unlock Iraq's defence.

Ahmed Basil (Iraq) — The substitute goalkeeper made several saves to keep the score from climbing even higher. He could do little about any of the five goals.

The page already shows Senegal's total dominance, but what the raw numbers reveal is a tale of two halves. Senegal managed just one goal and 13 shots before the break despite facing ten men for 32 minutes. After half-time, aided by inspired substitutions (Camara, Gueye, Ndiaye all arriving in a 57th-minute triple change), they scored four times from 15 shots.

xG of 3.10 to 0.18 reflects the gulf in quality of chances — Iraq's solitary shot on target never seriously threatened. Possession: 69%-31% and shots: 28-6 (12-1 on target) are fair measures of the disparity after the red card, though Iraq's defensive shape held better than those numbers suggest before the break.

Senegal finished third in Group I with three points and a goal difference of +2. At the time of writing they hold the fifth-best record among third-placed teams, but four sides below them have yet to play. If they finish in the top eight third-placed teams, they would likely face England in the round of 32.

Iraq are eliminated after losing all three group matches — their first World Cup since 1986 ends without a point. France won Group I after beating Norway 4-1; Norway finished second.

Senegal's next match, should they advance, would be in the round of 32 against the Group J winners (likely England) in early July.

Senegal did what they had to do: obliterate an outmatched opponent after a red card made the task easier. Pape Gueye's two stunning strikes provided the entertainment, but the real question — whether three points and +2 GD is enough to advance as a best third-place team — remains unanswered. Iraq depart without a point, but their defensive discipline before the sending-off showed they were not completely out of their depth.