Before the World Cup... Iraq shakes Spain's confidence and emerges with a valuable point

The Iraqi national team forced its Spanish counterpart to a 1-1 draw, in the friendly match that brought together the two teams as part of the final preparations for the 2026 World Cup, in a remarkable result against one of the strongest teams in the world and the current European champion.The Spanish team entered the match as favorites to win, taking advantage of the ground staff and the crowd, but the “Lions of Mesopotamia” played a great match on the technical and tactical levels, and succeeded in keeping up with the hosts throughout the confrontation.The Spanish team was the first to score in the 17th minute through Ferran Torres, taking advantage of one of the organized attacks to give “La Roja” an early advantage in the score, before the hosts continued to score. Their attempts were in search of a second goal.But the Iraqi team showed a strong personality and a distinctive reaction, succeeding in returning to the atmosphere of the match in the 29th minute through Mirjas Doski, who took advantage of a valuable opportunity and put the ball into the Spanish net, returning the match to the starting point.In the second half, the Spanish team imposed its control over the ball and created a number of offensive opportunities, but the Iraqi defensive organization and the brilliance of the back line prevented the hosts from reaching the winning goal, while The Iraqi team relied on quick rebounds, which posed some danger.Despite the large difference in the world rankings and capabilities between the two teams, Iraq succeeded in coming out with a positive result against a team ranked second in the world, sending a strong message before the start of the World Cup competitions, and confirming its readiness to compete against the top teams on the international scene.This tie represents a great morale boost for Ayman Hussein’s teammates before going into the World Cup, especially since it was achieved against the European champion and one of the most prominent candidates to compete for the world title, in a test during which the Iraqi team proved its ability to confront the major teams with confidence and a strong personality.