FRA 20%
ARG 14.8%
ESP 13.7%
ENG 10.3%
POR 8.5%
Senegal swept aside Iraq 5-0 in Group I, a Rebin Sulaka red card on 13 minutes shaping a rout finished off by Pape Gueye's brace from the bench.
How did the result unfold for Senegal and Iraq?
Senegal opened their Group I campaign with a 5-0 win over Iraq, and the tactical story is simpler than the scoreline suggests: an early goal and an even earlier sending-off handed the favourites total control. Ranked 14th in the world against Iraq's 57th, Senegal were expected to win; the manner, a 1-0 lead turned into a four-goal second-half procession, is what stands out.
Habib Diarra struck on 4 minutes, finishing from very close range to the top right corner after Abdoulaye Seck headed on from a corner. That set-piece opener mattered tactically because it forced Iraq to chase the game from the start, and within ten minutes their plan had collapsed entirely with Rebin Sulaka's dismissal on 13 minutes.
From there the game became an exercise in game-management for Senegal. They led only 1-0 at the break, but the second half brought goals from Ismaïla Sarr, a Pape Gueye brace and Iliman Ndiaye, turning a controlled first half into a rout.
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How did Rebin Sulaka's red card reshape the contest?
The decisive tactical moment arrived on 13 minutes, when Rebin Sulaka was shown a red card. With Senegal already 1-0 up, Iraq were left to defend for more than 75 minutes a man short, and the structure of the match was effectively decided before the quarter-hour.
Iraq's response was immediate and pragmatic. They reorganised with a substitution on 16 minutes, sending on Munaf Younus for Ahmed Qasim, an early sacrifice of an attacker to shore up a back line now stretched thin. The aim was containment, and for a time it held: Senegal led by only a single goal at the interval despite Sadio Mané forcing a save from Ahmed Basil on 14 minutes.
Playing with ten men also dictated Iraq's shape for the rest of the night. They were compressed deep, ceding territory and the ball, and their few moments forward, such as Ali Jasim's long-range effort saved by Mory Diaw on 53 minutes, came on rare breaks rather than sustained pressure.
Why was Senegal's triple substitution the turning point?
Senegal's bench shaped this result as much as their starting eleven. Having gone 2-0 up through Ismaïla Sarr on 56 minutes, finishing from close range after a Lamine Camara assist, Senegal made a triple change on 57 minutes: Iliman Ndiaye, Nicolas Jackson and Pape Gueye came on for Ibrahim Mbaye, Lamine Camara and Habib Diarra.
The impact was instant. Within two minutes Pape Gueye had scored, curling a left-footed shot from outside the box into the top left corner after a pass from Sarr. It was the clearest sign that the changes were about freshness and tempo against tiring ten men, and it broke the game open at 3-0.
Pape Gueye struck again on 71 minutes, this time from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner, set up by an Iliman Ndiaye headed pass. The two substitutes then combined for the fifth, Ndiaye finishing from outside the box on 82 minutes with Pape Gueye providing the assist. Senegal's depth, not just their first-choice talent, did the damage.
What did Iraq's goalkeeper change and game-management tell us?
Iraq's most notable in-game decision was at half-time, when Jalal Hassan replaced Ahmed Basil in goal. Trailing only 1-0 and a man down, it was a reset between the posts as Iraq tried to limit the damage in the second half.
That call was at least partly vindicated by volume of work. As Senegal poured forward late, Jalal Hassan made a series of saves, denying Ismaïla Sarr (54'), Pathé Ciss and Nicolas Jackson (both 79'), and then a flurry in stoppage time from Jackson, Pape Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye. Without him the margin could have been heavier.
The bookings told the story of a side stretched and frustrated: yellow cards for Amir Al-Ammari on 75 minutes and Merchas Doski on 90 reflected a defence chasing the game with one fewer player. Iraq's game-management kept the score respectable in the first half but could not survive Senegal's reinforcements.
What does this Group I result mean for Senegal?
For Senegal, the takeaways are tactical and encouraging. The early set-piece goal, Diarra's finish from Seck's knockdown, showed a clear plan from dead balls, and the side managed the first half sensibly rather than over-committing once Iraq went down to ten.
Just as important is what the bench offered. Pape Gueye's two goals and Iliman Ndiaye's strike and assist mean Senegal generated decisive output from players who started on the sidelines, useful evidence of squad depth across a long tournament.
The caveats are obvious and worth stating plainly: this was an opponent reduced to ten men for over an hour, and Senegal led only 1-0 against eleven before the avalanche. Even so, five goals, a clean sheet protected by Mory Diaw, and minutes shared around make this an ideal start to Group I.
Frequently asked
What was the final score of Senegal vs Iraq?
Senegal beat Iraq 5-0 in their Group I match on 26 June 2026, having led 1-0 at half-time before scoring four times after the interval.
Who scored for Senegal against Iraq?
Habib Diarra (4'), Ismaïla Sarr (56'), Pape Gueye (59' and 71') and Iliman Ndiaye (82') scored Senegal's goals, with Pape Gueye netting twice off the bench.
Why did Iraq lose 5-0 to Senegal?
Iraq conceded early through Habib Diarra and then went down to ten men when Rebin Sulaka was sent off on 13 minutes, leaving them defending with a man short for over an hour against fresh Senegalese substitutes.
Was Senegal 5-0 Iraq an upset?
No. Senegal were ranked 14th in the world to Iraq's 57th and carried far higher title odds, so a comfortable win was expected, though the margin was emphatic.
