Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:
In a historic first, Senegal became the first African team to score 5 goals in a single World Cup match, in their game against Iraq on Friday, as the exciting atmosphere of the match prompted the Lions of Teranga to roar 5 times.
Senegal's national team secures a resounding victory over their Iraqi counterparts.
The Senegalese national team achieved a resounding victory over their Iraqi counterparts with five goals to nil, in the match that brought them together at the “BMO Field” stadium, as part of the third and final round of Group Nine of the 2026 World Cup.
Habib Diarra opened the scoring early for the "Lions of Teranga" in the fourth minute, before Ismaila Sarr added the second goal in the 56th minute. Pape Gueye continued his brilliance by scoring two consecutive goals in the 59th and 71st minutes, while Eliamin Ndiaye completed Senegal's five-goal haul with a fifth goal in the 82nd minute.
The match witnessed an early turning point, after Iraqi defender Rebin Sulaka received a straight red card in the 12th minute, after he fouled Sadio Mane and prevented him from a clear scoring opportunity, so the “Lions of Mesopotamia” completed the match with ten players, which made their task more difficult in the face of the clear Senegalese superiority.
With this result, the Senegalese team strengthened its chances of qualifying for the round of 32, pending the determination of the best third-placed teams.
Senegal's lineup was as follows: Mory Diaw in goal, with Krepin Diatta, Abdoulaye Seck, Moussa Niakhaté, and Ismaël Jacobs in defense, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Habib Diarra, and Lamine Camara in midfield, and Aliou Mbaye, Ismaïla Sarr, and Sadio Mané leading the attack.
In contrast, the Iraqi national team started the match with a lineup that included Ahmed Basil in goal, and in front of him in defense were Frans Putros, Rebin Sulaka, Akam Hashim, Mirkhas Doski, and in midfield, Amir Al-Ammari, Ahmed Qasim, and Zaidan Iqbal, while the attack was led by Ibrahim Bayesh, Ali Jassim, and Ali Al-Hammadi.
