Senegal v Iraq · OurXI

★ The storyline

Senegal are up and running

Senegal got the job done, 5–0 against Iraq in the group stage. A good day at the office for ours — exactly the start you want, and the kind of result that makes the next one feel lighter.

TalismanDeveloping

Senegal put Iraq to the sword

Senegal 5, Iraq 0. A clean sheet and a comfortable win in the group stage — no fuss, no scare, exactly the sort of statement that puts a marker down for the rest of the field.

TalismanDeveloping

Senegal's Last Stand: Survival Arithmetic in Toronto

Senegal arrive at the Group I finale against Iraq pointless but not hopeless, needing to dust themselves off after heavy defeats to France and Norway. Their attacking play flickered with life across both matches, but the scoreboard tells a grimmer story: six goals conceded and a minus-three goal difference with everything to prove. A win here keeps their tournament alive via the third-place route, but only if they can stop the bleeding and rediscover the clinical edge that abandoned them early on.

Sadio ManéAymen Hussein

Source: telecomasia.net — via web search

Why it matters

Ours are out — Senegal have a job to do in Group I.

Who to watch

★ Ours · Talisman

Sadio Mané

Senegal

Still the heartbeat of the side and the man Senegal lean on when the big moments arrive.

Talisman

Aymen Hussein

Iraq

The man Iraq lean on for goals in a side that finds them hard to come by.

Developing

Iraq are out at the group stage

That's that, then. Iraq are out at the group stage — the maths finally caught up. A disappointing end, but there'll be stories to tell and lessons to take from it.

Developing

Senegal are through to the last 32

Senegal have squeezed through as one of the best third-placed sides. Not the comfortable route — but a place in the last 32 is a place in the last 32, and the knockouts don't care how you got there.

Developing

Senegal come unstuck against Norway

Not our day. Senegal went down 3–2 to Norway in the group stage. There's work to do now — but the group's not done, and there's still everything to play for.

Developing

Senegal come unstuck against France

Not our day. Senegal went down 3–1 to France in the group stage. There's work to do now — but the group's not done, and there's still everything to play for.