Senegal secured progression to the World Cup Last 32 with a 5-0 victory over Iraq, and head coach Pape Thiaw lavished praise on talisman Sadio Mané after the Teranga Lions’ emphatic result in Philadelphia. The win followed defeats by France and Norway and restored Senegal’s hopes of advancing from the group stage.
Thiaw made a notable selection call by omitting veteran centreback Kalidou Koulibaly from his starting XI and was without goalkeeper Édouard Mendy because of injury, but retained Mané. The 34-year-old played a central role in the performance: he created four chances — more than any other player in the match — and drew the foul from Rebin Sulaka in the 13th minute that led to Iraq being reduced to 10 men.
With Nicolás Jackson left on the bench, Mané occupied a more central attacking position that allowed Ismail Jakobs to overlap. He finished the match as Senegal’s most advanced player despite not registering a goal or an assist in the game. Mané had earlier provided an assist in the 3-2 defeat to Norway.
Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Sulaka’s dismissal followed nine minutes later. The second half saw the floodgates open: Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye scored either side of a brace from Pape Gueye as Senegal ran up a five-goal margin.
The victory lifted Senegal to three points and a plus-two goal difference. Results elsewhere — Iran being held by Egypt and Uruguay losing to Spain — meant the third-placed teams from Groups G and H could not overtake Senegal. With Korea Republic and Scotland also beneath the Teranga Lions on goal difference after three games, Thiaw’s side confirmed their progress to the knockouts.
Thiaw described Mané as the team’s technical leader and an example for African and world football, saying the forward is invested in the group and “gives everything for the flag of Senegal.” He also congratulated his players for producing the result the team needed.
