Substitute Pape Gueye scored a pair of sensational second-half goals from long range, and Senegal got a much-needed boost to their goal difference with a 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq in their Group I finale on Friday.
Ismaïla Sarr added his third goal of the tournament, the first of four after half-time for the Lions of Teranga, who sealed a third-place group finish and are vying for one of the eight third-place spots in the last 32.
They currently hold the fifth-best record of third-place sides based on their plus-2 goal difference, but four of the teams beneath them have yet to play their final group matches.
Habib Diarra opened the scoring in the fourth minute while it was still 11 on 11, and Iliman Ndiaye wrapped it up with his own long-range effort in the 82nd minute.
The result mean that Iraq were eliminated from their second World Cup and first since 1986.
They would have been underdogs at even strength, but the prospect of their first World Cup points grew more remote when referee Anthony Taylor dismissed defender Rebin Sulaka for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the 13th minute.
Taylor initially brandished only a yellow card after Sadio Mané dribbled past Sulaka, who hauled him back with an outstretched arm. But Taylor was summoned to consult a replay monitor, and after viewing the play again, upgraded the decision.
Senegal couldn’t capitalise during a frustrating remainder of the first half, but that all changed after the interval.
Lamine Camara set up Sarr’s 56th-minute goal to begin the second-half onslaught, forcing an Iraq turnover in their own box, dribbling to the byline, then cutting a low cross back for the Crystal Palace forward to tap into an open goal.
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Gueye entered immediately following Sarr’s contribution and soon made his own impact.
In the 59th minute, he took Sarr’s pass near the right corner of the box, dribbled to his left and then unfurled a bending, left-footed strike that curled beyond the diving Ahmed Basil on its way into the top corner.
In the 71st, he ran on to Ndiaye’s bouncing feed and struck a thunderous half-volley that barely gave Basil time to move before it bulged the back of the net.