Senegal kept their World Cup knockout hopes alive in dominant fashion on Friday with a 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq, who were eliminated from the tournament.
Survival was on the line as both sides entered the match needing to win to stay in the hunt for one of the last eight spots in the round of 32.
Substitute Papa Gueye was barely on the field for three minutes when he unleashed a stunning 84 kph strike from distance before adding another cracking shot recorded at 103 kph.
"I think he was very motivated," Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said of Gueye. “He wanted to serve his country and he scored two goals so we must congratulate him.”
SENEGAL COME ALIVE IN SECOND HALF
Senegal took an early lead through a deflected goal off Habib Diarra but failed to capitalise after Iraq defender Rebin Sulaka was sent off in the 13th minute for a foul on Sadio Mane following a VAR review.
But Thiaw’s men took charge in the second half and began their goal fest when Ismaila Sarr scored his fourth career World Cup goal to become the country’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.
Gueye struck twice and Iliman Ndiaye fired a rocket into the back of the net to cap off a five-star performance for Senegal, and their green-clad supporters began to chant “Senegal! Senegal!” as the clock wound down.
Despite bouncing back from back-to-back defeats by France and Norway with a strong display, Thiaw said his team could be better after a "difficult" first half.
“Even though we scored five goals, there are still improvements to be made,” Thiaw told reporters.
Senegal finished third in Group I with three points, behind France and Norway. Iraq were bottom with zero points.
The African side must wait until the group stage ends on Saturday to see if they are one of the eight best third-placed teams who will advance to the round of 32.
IRAQ ELIMINATED AFTER THREE LOSSES
Down a man for most of the game, Iraq could not escape Senegal’s relentless pressure and the possibility of a comeback quickly slipped from their grasp.
Zidane Iqbal displayed a great bit of skill to keep possession just outside his own box but Camara managed to come away with the ball, burst forward and lay a pass across the six-yard box for a sliding Sarr to poke home.
Iraq, making their second World Cup appearance and first in 40 years, will go home without a point.
“It was an amazing experience, but I want to apologise (to) our fans, (to) our nations,” defender Merchas Doski said. “These three games, we didn't learn from our mistakes."
Iraq coach Graham Arnold said Sulaka’s "stupid" early red card made it even tougher for the team to perform against a top side like Senegal.
“With 11 men, it would have been hard enough as it was, let alone having 10 men for that long,” Arnold said.
Source: Reuters
– Agencies
