I stopped by the Art Gallery of Ontario this morning and stood before the luminous chaos of a Jean-Paul Riopelle canvas — all that controlled fury finding its own beautiful order — and I thought, yes, this is exactly how Senegal play. Pape Matar Sarr is the conductor in the heart of this midfield, dictating rhythm while Iraq's defensive structure simply has no answer for the waves coming at them — Ismaïla Sarr stretching the channels, Mané arriving like inevitability itself. Iraq's forwards may be willing, but they will spend this afternoon watching from a distance as Koulibaly sweeps away any ambition that drifts their way. Toronto deserves beautiful football today, and Senegal, my friends, intend to provide it.

Senegal's midfield engine — anchored by the elegant Pape Matar Sarr — is simply operating on a different frequency to anything Iraq can offer through the center of the park, and that gap will be ruthlessly exploited over 90 minutes. Koulibaly reads the game like a chess grandmaster at the back, meaning Iraq's limited attacking sorties will be suffocated before they ever threaten Mendy's goal — this really is a mismatch of continental proportions. I tried my hand at a Canadian butter tart here in Toronto last night and, much like Iraq's defensive structure, mine collapsed completely under pressure — though I suspect Senegal's performance will be rather more composed.