Senegal made a flying start in their bid to keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup knockout rounds alive as Habib Diarra put them into an early lead against Iraq, who were then reduced to 10 men. Both sides went into their Group I finale on the back of defeats to France and Norway, but Senegal quickly justified their favourites tag as they boosted their hopes of reaching the knockout rounds as one the eight best third-placed teams.Abdoulaye Seck rose highest to meet an excellent Lamine Camara corner in the fourth minute, his effort finding the net via a deflection from Diarra.And Iraqs faint hopes of progression were effectively ended when Rebin Sulaka was shown a red card nine minutes later.The Iraq defender was initially given a yellow card by Anthony Taylor for pulling back Sadio Mane as he attempted to go through on goal.But, following a VAR review, Taylor reversed his decision and upgraded the punishment to a red, leaving Iraq with a mountain to climb. Mane went close to compounding Iraqs misery from the resulting free-kick, but Ahmed Basil produced a fine diving save to deny him. Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup iraq national football team Senegal National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read LIVE Senegal v Iraq: Commentary, updates, goals and stats Jon Fisher 26th June, 2026 Jordan v Argentina: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction Ben Miller 26th June, 2026 Senegal v Iraq: Confirmed team news with Jackson dropped as African giants go in search of unlikely qualification Jon Fisher 26th June, 2026 Panama v England: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction Ben Miller 26th June, 2026 Croatia v Ghana: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction Ben Miller 26th June, 2026 Colombia v Portugal: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction Jon Fisher 26th June, 2026
