Scotland’s World Cup hopes took a serious hit Thursday night. Senegal hammered a 10-man Iraq squad 5-0 in Toronto, and that result pushed the Scots out of the top eight third-place finishers — the cutoff for advancing to the knockout stage.
It was over almost before it started. Habib Diarra scored in the fourth minute after Abdoulaye Seck powered a header toward goal and Diarra flicked it home. Then in the 13th minute, Iraq’s Rebin Sulaka dragged down Sadio Mane near the box. Referee Anthony Taylor initially gave a yellow card but went to the monitor and upgraded it to a red. Iraq was down a man for the rest of the match and already trailing by a goal.
Senegal didn’t let up. Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr doubled the lead just before the hour mark, tapping in a square pass from Lamine Camara. That goal made Sarr Senegal’s all-time World Cup top scorer with four goals, three of them in this tournament.
Then substitute Pape Gueye stole the show. He scored 89 seconds after coming on in the 64th minute, then added another in the 71st. Fellow sub Iliman Ndiaye — who had an assist earlier — blasted a fifth past Iraq’s helpless keeper Hassan with eight minutes left.
The win moves Senegal up to fifth in the third-place ranking. Scotland dropped out of the top eight entirely. That means the Scots could be eliminated before the weekend if results in Groups H and G don’t break their way. They need Spain to beat Uruguay and Egypt to beat Iran just to stay alive heading into Saturday’s final group games.
Even then, it’s not simple. Scotland would still need specific results from Groups L, K and J to sneak back into the top eight. It’s a long shot and they know it.
Senegal’s goal differential got a huge boost, which could matter if tiebreakers come into play. They’ve got momentum and a path forward. Scotland’s just hoping for a miracle now.
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