Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw said his team corrected their mistakes in their 5–0 victory over Iraq to keep their hopes of qualifying for the round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 alive, www.aclsports.com reports.
Goals from Habib Diarra, Ismaïla Sarr, a stunning brace from Pape Gueye, and Iliman Ndiaye made Senegal the first African side to score five goals in a World Cup match.
Speaking after the match, Thiaw praised his squad for delivering when it mattered most.
“First of all, congratulations to my team. They played the match we needed because it was important for us to win and keep our hopes alive. Scoring five goals is something positive,” he said.
He admitted the first half was difficult, with Iraq proving hard to break down even after Senegal’s opener, before adding that the decisive change came after the break following tactical adjustments.
“At half-time, we made adjustments and told them to stay calm, keep the ball, move it around and make the opposition work. Against 10 players, eventually spaces appear,” he said, with those changes immediately paying off as Senegal scored four second-half goals to secure a 5–0 win.
Thiaw praised his substitutes and squad depth, saying, “the substitutes also made an impact, they did what they had to do,” while noting the team had struggled in previous matches to manage games in control.
Pape Gueye made a key impact from the bench, scoring just 80 seconds after coming on and finishing with a brace.
“Pape is someone who has scored many goals for the national team, we felt shots from distance could help unlock the game. He has a great strike and he was motivated to come on and make his contribution,” Thiaw said.
Reflecting on earlier defeats against Norway and France, Thiaw admitted consistency had been an issue, though he insisted lessons had been learned. “We weren’t at our best level for the full 90 minutes, we corrected some things, and today I think those corrections paid off,” he said.
He also reserved special praise for Sadio Mané, describing him as the team’s technical leader and an example for world football. “What I think about Sadio, I could almost write a book about him. He does so many extraordinary things, he gives everything for the Senegal flag,” he said.
Despite the emphatic victory, Thiaw stressed that Senegal’s fate remains out of their hands, with other group results still to come. “The job is done now, but our fate is not completely in our hands. We will wait for the other results and see what happens,” he concluded.
