The Iraqi U-20 football team secured its spot in the final round of the Asian Cup today, Sunday, after achieving a significant victory over its Thai counterpart with a score of 3-1, in the Asian qualifiers.
The Iraqi team asserted its dominance from the start of the match, ending the first half with a three-goal lead. Mu’ammal Malik opened the scoring in the tenth minute, capitalizing on a cross that he successfully slotted into the Thai net.
Os Gazi added the second goal in the 19th minute after a distinctive tactical play and a brilliant individual effort that concluded with a successful shot. In the 45th minute, Mu’ammal Malik returned to enhance Iraq's lead with his second personal goal and the third for the team, taking advantage of the advance of the Thai goalkeeper, to shoot the ball over him and place it in the net, ending the first half with a comfortable advantage for Iraq.
The performance of the Iraqi team declined in the second half as they focused on defensive play to maintain their lead and secure the match points, amid a clear advantage for the Thai team during this half.
The Iraqi team continued its attempts to preserve the score until the 86th minute, before the Thai team succeeded in scoring its first goal, benefiting from the advantage it imposed in the second half, to end the match in favor of the Iraqi youth team with a score of 3-1.
Iraq started its journey in the qualifiers with a loss to Turkmenistan by a score of 2-1, before regaining its form in the second round with a victory over the UAE by a score of 2-1, and with today’s win over Thailand in the third and final round, Iraq secured the top position in Group 6 with 6 points, officially clinching a qualification ticket to the 2027 Asian Cup finals.