Senegal entered the World Cup with high expectations, but back-to-back defeats have left them on the verge of elimination. They now need a comprehensive victory over Iraq on Friday to keep their tournament alive. Iraq faces a similar predicament, having also lost their opening two Group I matches against France and Norway, who have already secured the top two spots and advanced to the last 32.
Both Teams Scramble for Third-Place Lifeline
Iraq and Senegal are battling to progress as one of the eight best third-placed teams across the 12 groups. Even if there is a winner when the two sides meet at Toronto Stadium, they will likely face an anxious wait until the group stage concludes late on Saturday to know whether their three-point haul is enough to reach the knockout stage. While Iraq were always expected to struggle against the two European sides in the group, Senegal had high hopes of making a strong early statement.
Senegal's Disappointing Campaign
Senegal famously upset then-holders France in the opening game of the 2002 World Cup and were looking to repeat those heroics in New York in their first game of this year's finals. However, they took a massive blow to their confidence as the French eased to a 3-1 win. Mistakes cost them dearly against Norway on Monday as they lost 3-2, gifting Erling Haaland opportunities he needed no second invitation to snap up.
Senegal, whose first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was injured against Norway and will not play against Iraq, have looked far removed from the team who won the Africa Cup of Nations in January (a title they have since been stripped of) amid reports of wrangling over money. But coach Pape Bouna Thiaw said before the Norway game that all administrative matters had been settled. After losing on Monday, Thiaw was clear that he felt their tournament was not yet over and that they could beat Iraq.
Iraq's Coach Remains Hopeful
Iraq's coach Graham Arnold believes the same for his side. “With eight third-placed teams going through, we’ve still got a chance,” Arnold said after his team lost 3-0 to France in Philadelphia on Monday.
