Goals by Ayman Hussein, Ali Jasim
Iraq triumphs over Ukraine 2-1 in their first Olympic match
NEWSROOM– The Iraqi national football team clinched a thrilling 2-1 victory over Ukraine in their opening match at the Paris Olympics in Lyon. Ukraine initially took the lead in the 52nd minute with a goal by Valentyn Rubchynskyi. However, Iraq quickly responded, leveling the score four minutes later through a penalty kick expertly taken by striker Ayman Hussein. Ali Jasim then sealed the win for Iraq with a decisive goal in the 74th minute, propelling Iraq to the top of their group, which includes Morocco, Argentina, and Ukraine, with three points, securing Iraq’s first Olympic soccer victory in twenty years.
Earlier this week, the head of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, Aqeel Muften, announced the distribution of free tickets for the Iraqi Olympic team’s football matches at the Paris Olympics. The tickets are available to both Iraqi fans and the Iraqi diaspora in Europe.
Iraqi team has qualified for the football competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics games after securing third place in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, and set to face Argentina next on July 27 at the Lyon Stadium, and will face Morocco on Tuesday, July 30 in Nice.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani extended congratulations to the Olympic football team on their victory, “bringing joy to sports fans and enhancing our global representation.” He added that “We salute our players and appreciate the efforts of the coaching staff, the Olympic Committee, and the Iraqi Football Association. The government remains committed to supporting and elevating Iraqi sports internationally,” Sudani posted on X (previously known as Twitter).
Iraq’s Olympic history in football is marked by sporadic participation, with the 2016 Rio Olympics being a significant appearance after a gap since the 2004 Athens Olympics. Iraq’s men’s football team qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics by securing third place in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship held in Qatar. The team was placed in Group A, alongside Denmark, Brazil, and South Africa. The Iraqi team drew in all group stage matches, thus its finished third in the group and did not advance to the knockout stage.