Iraq and Senegal meet in last-chance saloon
TORONTO: Senegal were touted as a team with potential to go far at the World Cup, but successive defeats have them teetering on the brink of elimination and they need a comprehensive win over Iraq on Friday. For Iraq, it is a similar predicament as they have also lost their opening two Group I games to France and Norway, who have taken the top two places and advanced to the last 32. Iraq and Senegal are scrambling to progress as one of the eight best third-placed teams across the 12 groups, but even if there is a winner when the two sides meet at the Toronto Stadium, they would likely have an anxious wait until the group stage concludes late on Saturday before knowing 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 and laying down their credentials.
