Pape Thiaw demands more despite Senegal's record World Cup victory

The Lions of Teranga delivered one of Africa's most dominant displays at the tournament, dismantling a 10-man Iraq at Toronto Stadium on Friday to keep their hopes of reaching the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 alive.

The result marked the biggest victory recorded by an African nation at the World Cup finals, but Thiaw's immediate focus was not on history — it was on improvement.

"Even though we scored five goals, there are still improvements to be made," Thiaw told reporters after the match.

Senegal controlled proceedings from start to finish and finally showed the attacking edge that had been missing earlier in the campaign. However, Thiaw's measured reaction reflected a coach determined to keep standards high with qualification still hanging in the balance.

The West Africans must now wait for the remaining group-stage fixtures to determine whether their three points will be enough to secure progression as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.

"Now we have to wait. We have three points secured. There are other matches, so we hope Senegal can qualify," said Thiaw.

Senegal currently sit third in Group I behind France and Norway, leaving their World Cup future out of their own hands.

Despite his demands for more, Thiaw singled out key individuals for praise, particularly midfielder Pape Gueye, who scored twice, and captain Sadio Mane for his influence beyond goals.

"He has this team spirit, he does great things on the pitch, he is very helpful defence-wise," Thiaw said of Mane.

After guiding his side to a statement victory, the coach admitted the result brought relief and satisfaction.
"This country behind us brings a lot, and we give our all to make them happy," he said.