SENEGAL coach Pape Bouna Thiaw refused to be carried away by his side's emphatic 5-0 victory over Iraq on Friday, insisting there was still plenty to improve despite the result keeping their FIFA World Cup knockout hopes alive.
Senegal produced a dominant display at Toronto Stadium to overwhelm a 10-man Iraq side and register the biggest victory ever recorded by an African nation at the FIFA World Cup finals.
While praising his players for completing the job, Thiaw stressed that the convincing scoreline should not mask areas requiring improvement.
"Even though we scored five goals, there are still things we can improve," Reuters reported him saying.
The West African side must now wait for the outcome of other group-stage matches to determine whether they progress to the Round of 32 as one of the tournament's eight best third-placed teams.
"Now we have to wait. We earned three points. There are still several matches to be played, so we hope Senegal will qualify," Thiaw said.
Senegal finished third in Group I behind France and Norway after concluding their group-stage campaign.
Thiaw also praised the performances of midfielder Pape Gueye, who scored twice, and highlighted the influence of captain Sadio Mané on the team's display.
"He has great team spirit... he does many excellent things in midfield and contributes a great deal defensively," Thiaw said of Mané.
The Senegal coach said the comprehensive victory had given him renewed confidence as his side await confirmation of their fate.
"The country has always stood behind us and given us tremendous support. We gave everything to make them happy," he said. - June 27, 2026
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