Senegal looked to be set for a goal-scoring exhibition when Abdoulaye Seck’s towering header put them in the ascendancy early on before Iraq’s afternoon went from bad to worse as Rebin Sulaka was dismissed with just 13 minutes on the clock.
Graham Arnold's side were still competitive in a first-half where although the Lions of Teranga dominated the possession, they failed to do much with it in the final third with Iraq’s rigid defensive shape restricting their opponents to very little.
The second-half sprung into life though with Senegal emphasising their attacking credentials in a clinical display which saw Ismaila Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye and two from Pape Gueye all get on the scoresheet.
Story of the match
Pape Thiaw’s win at all costs approach was made abundantly clear with five changes to the side who were narrowly beaten by Norway which most significantly saw PSG sensation Ibrahim Mbaye become the youngest Senegalese player to start at a World Cup at 18 years and 153 days.
Iraq’s hopes of qualification were hanging by a thread due to also suffering two defeats from two with the headline of their four alterations seeing Ipswich Town’s Ali Al-Hamadi being trusted to lead the line.
The Lions of Teranga were in need of not just points, but also goals in order to put them in a strong position to qualify as a third-place nation. They hit their stride in the opening minutes as Idrissa Gueye’s deflected effort from the edge of the box went out for a corner.
Senegal wasted little time further asserting their dominance and they took the lead with just four minutes on the clock. Gueye turned provider with an inch-perfect cross that found the head of Seck whose angled header nestled into the back of the net.
A nightmare start for Iraq continued as they paid a heavy price for a lapse in defensive concentration. Sadio Mane was clumsily brought down by Sulaka on the edge of the box as the last man and following a VAR review, Anthony Taylor deemed the defender’s challenge to be a denial of a clear goal-scoring opportunity and he was dismissed.
The former Liverpool fan favourite stepped up for the free-kick but Ahmed Fadhil came up with a crucial intervention to prevent his strike flying into the top corner.
Despite ultimately falling short against the superior quality of Norway and France in their opening two games, the Lions of Mesopotamia managed to weather an early Senegal surge and crafted their first chance on 19 minutes through Como’s Ali Jasim as he saw his free-kick go straight into the wall.
Iraq had to work relentlessly off the ball and they began to get a foothold in the game but Senegal were hungry for a second. Ismail Jakobs collected the ball from Mane from a tight angle and he saw a window of opportunity with the 26-year-old narrowly dragging his effort wide of the mark just after the half-hour mark.
Following such a lively start, the rhythm to the game began to fade but Mane was a key figure in driving forward as they looked to extend their one-goal cushion.
The 34-year-old first saw his strike blocked by Akam Hashim after good combination play with Sarr on the left before he attacked the Iraq defence with purpose in additional time before his bending strike narrowly evaded the target.
Senegal take control after the interval
An enforced change for Iraq at the break came in between the sticks as Jalal Hassan replaced Fadhil and the Lions of Teranga looked to test him almost immediately, Mbaye’s pinpoint cross finding Mane in space in the box but he couldn’t steer his effort towards goal.
A predominantly cagey opening period began to open up and Senegal began to craft chances, Hassan coming to Iraq’s aid on 53 minutes as he got down quickly to his right to deny Sarr.
The pressure ultimately told though three minutes later as Sarr netted his third goal of the tournament. Ex-Manchester United youngster Zidane Iqbal was dispossessed on the edge of the box by Lamine Camara who provided for the Crystal Palace front man who poked home from close range.
Iraq had held firm up to now but sowed the seeds of their own demise as they gave the ball away to substitute Pape Gueye who, in his first few touches of the contest, curled a beautiful strike beyond Hassan’s reach and into the top corner.
Exactly three minutes between the two goals, Senegal began to exploit a tiring Iraq backline whose first-half numerical disadvantage was starting to take its toll.
The goal-scorer of the third proved to be an inspired change by Thiaw who doubled his tally in Toronto with 20 minutes remaining in thunderous fashion once again. A left-wing cross fell to Ndiaye who headed the ball down to Gueye, emphatically firing home as Senegal made it four.
The introduction of Nicolas Jackson created further problems for the Iraq defence as the Chelsea striker had a strike from point-blank range blocked as the cracks began to show in abundance. The cherry on top of the cake was placed by Ndiaye nine minutes from time as the 26-year-old had the freedom of Toronto and beautifully found the top corner from distance.
Group I round-up
They will now have to play the waiting game to see if they have done enough to progress but what is guaranteed Iraq crash out having failed to record a point.
France capped off their formidable group stage campaign with an impressive 4-1 win over a heavily-rotated Norway as Ousmane Dembele netted a hat-trick. This ensures Les Bleus top the group and will lock horns with Sweden in the round of 32 as it stands.
Norway ensured they would progress to the knockout stages for the first time in 28 years in second place and look set to meet Côte d'Ivoire.
