The Iraqi national team achieved an exciting 2-1 victory over its Emirati guest in the second leg of the Asian play-off, thus securing a place in the global play-off for the 2026 World Cup. The match, which was held at the Basra International Stadium, witnessed excitement and competitiveness until the last moments.
Caio Lucas opened the scoring for the UAE national team in the 52nd minute, but substitute Mohanad Ali managed to equalize for Iraq in the 66th minute.
In injury time, a penalty kick was awarded to Iraq after a handball on an Emirati player, which Amir Al-Ammari successfully converted into the winning goal in the 90+16 minute, granting Iraq a ticket to the global play-off.
With this victory, the Iraqi national team, led by its Australian coach “Graham Arnold,” qualifies for the global play-off, after a 1-1 draw with the UAE in the first leg that took place last Thursday.
The Iraqi national team will join Bolivia, New Caledonia and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the global play-off, while two seats remain from North America. In contrast, the UAE national team, led by its coach “Orlaio Cosmin,” will be absent from the World Cup finals.
It is worth mentioning that the only participation of the Iraqi national team in the World Cup was in the 1986 edition hosted by Mexico.
First half
The match started with a quick attack from the left side of the Emirati national team, which ended with a dangerous cross that Zaid Tahseen cleared. The Iraqi national team responded with a similar attack that did not result in anything. The Emirati national team almost opened the scoring after a mistake by the player Akam Hashem, but Luan Pereira’s shot passed next to the post.
After that, the Iraqi national team began to launch successive attacks, as Ali Jassim sent a cross from a corner kick that almost settled in the net, were it not for the brilliance of Khaled Issa. Ali Jassim also fired another ball that hit the defenders, and a perfect cross from Ayman Hussein was wasted.
The Emirati national team wasted a dangerous opportunity through a header from Caio Lucas, while Ayman Hussein set off quickly towards the Emirati goal, but Kwame intervened in time. The following minutes witnessed a back-and-forth between the two teams and an improvement in the performance of the Iraqi national team. Robin Philip fired a close ball for the Emirati national team that went over the crossbar.
Caio tried with a powerful shot that went over the crossbar, while Marcos Meloni sent a cross that the Iraqi defense dealt with successfully.
In the last five minutes of the first half, the Iraqi national team became active, and had a chance from a cross sent by Ali Jassim after a wonderful dribble, but to no avail. Sherko Karim also directed a cross, but the defense cleared the danger, ending the first half in a goalless draw.
Second half
The second half began with an attempt from the Iraqi national team, but the Emirati defense cleared the ball. The Emirati national team imposed its control over the midfield before Caio Lucas was able to score the opening goal in the 52nd minute, taking advantage of a mistake in the pass from Imar Sher.
The crossbar responded to a powerful shot from Bruno Oliveira that almost strengthened the UAE’s lead. The Iraqi national team brought in the duo Zidane Iqbal and Mohanad Ali to revitalize the attack, while the UAE national team brought in Ali Saleh instead of Luan Pereira.
The UAE had a chance with a powerful shot that passed next to the post, while the Iraqi national team sent a cross that turned into a corner kick, then an attempt for a double kick from Ayman Hussein that was not completed.
In the 66th minute, the Iraqi national team succeeded in scoring the equalizing goal through Mohanad Ali with a skillful header.
Goalkeeper Jalal Hassan brilliantly grabbed a skillful header from Kwame that almost gave the UAE the lead again. Caio tried to score another goal, but he passed the ball without a follow-up. Ali Saleh demanded a penalty kick, but the referee did not award it.
The Iraqi national team brought in its player Mustafa Saadoun instead of Hussein Ali. The match ignited after Khaled Issa saved a one-on-one from Mohanad Ali in the 83rd minute, and the ball rebounded to the UAE, which scored a goal through Caio Lucas, but the referee canceled it for offside.
UAE player Nicholas Jimenez was injured, and Abdullah Ramadan participated instead of him. Ammar Mohsen participated instead of Ayman Hussein in the last minutes, and Mohanad Ali wasted a dangerous opportunity with a powerful shot that went over the crossbar.
In the 90+11 minute, the referee awarded a penalty kick to Iraq after reviewing the video technology, which Amir Al-Ammari successfully converted in the 90+16 minute, granting Iraq the victory and a ticket to the global play-off.
