After suffering losses in their first couple of 2026 World Cup fixtures, Senegal continue to eye a place in the Round of 32 as they prepare to do battle against Iraq at the Toronto Stadium in Group I on Friday.
Kick-off is at 9:00pm (CAT, GMT+2).
CURRENT FORM
The Lions of Teranga commenced their World Cup campaign with a 3-1 loss against France at the New York New Jersey Stadium on 16 June as Kylian Mbappe announced himself on the stage with a brace against the African giants.
Matters went from bad to worse for Senegal thereafter as they suffered a 3-2 defeat against Norway at the same grounds on 23 June. Their run of defeats left them on zero points in third position whereas Iraq are fourth in Group I ahead of Friday’s tie.
Iraq faced Norway in their opening match on 17 June and recorded a 4-1 defeat at the Boston Stadium with Aymen Hussein scoring for his nation.
The Lions of Mesopotamia, as they’re affectionately known, then took on 2022 finalists France at the Philadelphia Stadium on 22 June where they noted a 3-0 loss owing to goals by Mbappe (2) and Ousmane Dembele.
WHAT WAS SAID
With Senegal in line to qualify for the Round of 32 as one of the best third-placed finishers, Pape Thiaw believes that his side has not failed at the tournament despite losing their first two assignments.
“We’ve got one match to go and we need to focus on this last game, try it and get three points and then cross our fingers,” Thiaw said.
“I think it’s a bit too early to say we failed. We’re not dead. We’re not in a good position and it’s the first time that Senegal has started a World Cup campaign with two defeats.
“But we’ve still got a chance to qualify and we’re going to focus on the last game. We want to try to get those three points and hope we can go through. Once you’re in the next round, then its another tournament that starts”.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senegal: Sadio Mane – As one of Senegal’s most important matches in recent memory, Mane will be counted on to deliver the goods given his vast amount of career experience. Apart from being battle tested, Mane remains a big game player, particularly as an attacking threat for his nation.
Iraq: Ahmed Basil – While Iraq may not boast the attacking talent to that of Senegal, Basil will be required to be at his best between the sticks. Expected to play more defensively, much of Iraq’s fortunes will rest on a good Basil performance on Friday.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This will be the first meeting between Senegal and Iraq.
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