Senegal needed a proper rescue job and delivered the loudest possible answer. A 5-0 win over Iraq moved them to three points, flipped their goal difference to +2 and dragged them right into the round-of-32 conversation.
This also matters for everyone building R32 drafts. Senegal are no longer dead data in the planner, Iraq are out, and Scotland's third-place route has been smashed by the size of this win.
Here are the Demon Notes from Senegal 5-0 Iraq: the team stats, Pape Gueye's explosion, the Mane/Sarr/Ndiaye fantasy angle, and why England v Senegal is only a provisional route until the bracket locks.
Senegal 5-0 Iraq
- Goals: Habib Diarra, Ismaila Sarr, Pape Gueye x2, Iliman Ndiaye
- Key moment: Rebin Sulaka was sent off after 13 minutes and Iraq never recovered
- Group I: Senegal finish third on 3 points with +2 goal difference
- R32 route: Senegal are live/likely through; England is the most likely route being discussed, but still provisional
- Fantasy story: Senegal players are back on the R32 watchlist; Iraq players should be removed from R32 plans
Team Stats
Player Stats
| Player | Pos | Price | Output | Match stats | Fantasy verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pape Gueye | MID | 5.5m | 2 goals | Came on and scored twice, Sofascore 9.9 | Great story, but check starts before chasing |
| Ismaila Sarr | FWD | 6.2m | Goal | Scored the second and stayed dangerous in transition | Live differential if Senegal are confirmed |
| Iliman Ndiaye | MID | 6.0m | Goal | Scored the fifth from range | R32 punt, not a safe core pick |
| Sadio Mane | MID | 7.6m | Threat | Hit the post and helped Senegal stretch Iraq late | Still the name if you want one Senegal attacker |
| Habib Diarra | MID | 5.0m | Goal | Opened the scoring inside four minutes | Cheap watchlist only |
| Jalal Hassan | GK | 4.0m | Saves | Made several second-half saves despite conceding five | Iraq are eliminated, avoid |
Demon Notes
- Senegal did exactly what a third-place team needed to do: win big. The +2 goal difference is why they are suddenly live.
- Pape Gueye was the spark. Two goals from midfield is huge, but we still need to know whether he starts before making him a real fantasy pick.
- Sarr and Mane are the cleaner fantasy names. Sarr has speed and goal threat; Mane still carries the big-game role.
- Iraq are done. That means any R32 xPts for Iraq players should be zeroed and they should not look like playable knockout picks.
- Scotland are the big losers from this result. Senegal's 5-0 pushes Scotland below the current third-place cutline, so Scotland should be removed from the active R32 route unless official data changes.
Round Of 32 Fantasy Angle
Senegal are not fully bracket-locked at the time of writing, but the public third-place picture has them very likely to progress. The route being discussed most is England, which is a brutal fixture but still fantasy-relevant because Senegal attackers are cheap and low-owned.
For Qualification Booster, Senegal are not a safe stack. They are more of a one-player differential route. For Clean Sheet Shield, they are also risky if England is the opponent because the shield still needs Senegal to concede no more than one.
Verdict: Senegal are back, Iraq are out, Scotland are out of the current route, and Demon needs to treat England v Senegal as provisional until the bracket is final.