Mendy out as Senegal face do-or-die World Cup clash with Iraq

Mendy out for Iraq, Senegal's World Cup hangs by a thread

Your goalkeeper will not be there for the must-win. Edouard Mendy is out of Friday's match against Iraq with a knee injury, Dutch outlet Limburger reports (1). No timeline yet, but for a match Senegal has to win, losing your first-choice keeper is the kind of news nobody wanted.

Senegal sit bottom of Group I after two straight defeats. Norway's 3–2 win, Haaland's double, left the Lions needing a miracle: beat Iraq and hope other results fall your way. Even then, it might not be enough.

Pape Thiaw's side face Iraq on Friday

The match is set for June 26 (2). Win or go home. Kalidou Koulibaly will have to organize the back line without Mendy behind him. Iraq's attack runs through Aymen Hussein and Ali Al-Hamadi (2). Senegal's defense has already been shaky, the Norway match showed that, and now the last line of protection is missing.

The scenario is brutal. Bosnia and Herzegovina have already locked in a third-place spot with a better ranking, based on the Scotland–Brazil result (2). That eats up one of the available slots for the best third-placed teams.

Fan-reaktioner

The mood is grim. Senegal supporters on Reddit are already doing the math, and it does not look good. One post spells out the cold reality: Bosnia are through as a third-place team, which narrows the path further. If you followed the Scotland–Brazil result, you already know the door is barely open. Read the full thread here