Iraq made a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Indonesia in Group B of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asian Qualifiers Round 4 Group B at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah.
Indonesia opened with impressive confidence, pressing high and moving the ball fluidly. Calvin Verdonk’s early long-range strike deflected narrowly wide, and from the resulting corner, Kevin Diks glanced a header across goal — inches away from a breakthrough.
Moments later, Thom Haye dragged a low effort just off target before Mauro Zijlstra nearly gave the Garuda a dream lead in the 14th minute. He latched onto Haye’s through ball, only for Iraq defender Munaf Younis to produce a superb last-ditch challenge to deny the 20-year-old his maiden international goal.
For Iraq, chances were limited early on. Sherko Karim headed over in the 29th minute, while Dean James’ curling free kick just before halftime whistled past Jalal Hassan’s post as both sides went into the break locked in a tense stalemate.
After the restart, Iraq began to impose themselves physically and tactically. Substitute Youssef Amyn squandered a glorious chance just before the hour mark, slicing wide after a clever deflection from Mohannad Ali’s pass.
Indonesia responded through Diks, who forced Hassan into a save with a low drive in the 65th minute — their final real threat of the match.
Then came the decisive blow. A poor pass from Rizky Ridho gifted Iraq possession deep in Indonesian territory, and after a series of quick exchanges, the ball fell to Zidane Iqbal. The 21-year-old took one touch before firing a composed left-foot finish past Maarten Paes to give Iraq a 1–0 lead and send their fans into raptures.
Tension escalated in the final minutes when Iraq defender Zaid Tasheen — already booked for a foul on Ole Romeny — was shown a second yellow card for a late altercation in stoppage time, reducing Iraq to ten men.
Despite the setback, Iraq held firm, with Jalal Hassan marshalling his defence superbly to close out a crucial victory that keeps the Lions of Mesopotamia’s qualification hopes very much alive.
With back-to-back wins, Iraq now top Group B heading into a decisive encounter against Saudi Arabia. A win on Tuesday would officially end a 40-year World Cup drought, marking a monumental milestone in Iraqi football history.
Credit Photo : Iraq FA
