Pape Gueye scored two sensational second-half goals from long range, giving Senegal a thumping 5-0 win over Iraq and a much-needed goal difference boost in their bid to qualify for the round of 32 at the World Cup.
Fast-starting Senegal opened the scoring after only four minutes. Abdoulaye Seck’s header from a corner took a decisive deflection off Habib Diarra on its way past Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
Iraq’s problems were compounded nine minutes when defender Rebin was sent off for pulling down Sadio Mane at the edge of the penalty area after VAR intervention.
Mane tested Basil from the resulting free-kick, but Pape Thiaw’s side, who needed goals to improve their goal difference and thereby their chances of progressing to the next stage, failed to register another shot on target in the first half. But they capitalised on former Manchester United midfielder Zidane Iqbal giving away possession at the edge of the box as Lamine Camara cut the ball back for Ismaila Sarr to apply a simple finish to make it 2-0 in the 56th minute.
In the 59th minute, substitute Gueye took Sarr’s pass near the right corner of the box, dribbled to his left and then unfurled a bending, left-footed strike that curled beyond the diving Ahmed Basil on its way into the top corner.
In the 71st, he ran onto Ndiaye’s bouncing feed and struck a thunderous half-volley that barely gave Basil time to move before it bulged the back of the net and fellow substitute Iliman Ndiaye sealed the 5-0 win.
Senegal played a near-perfect game in Toronto as they looked to bounce back from defeats by France and Norway, and the result pushed Scotland down to ninth in the table of the third placed side with eight to advance to the next round.
That did not mean Scotland’s hopes were absolutely at an end, as later games could still influence their standing, but they were rapidly fading.
