Iraqi National team continues dominance over Indonesia in World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers

BAGHDAD, November 17 — On Thursday, the Iraqi national team secured a 5-1 victory over their Indonesian counterparts in the dual qualifiers for the World Cup and the Asian Cup, maintaining their stronghold over Indonesia since 1973.

Bashar Resan opened the scoring in the 20th minute, and in the 35th minute, the Indonesian team inadvertently contributed an own goal.

Minutes before the end of the first half, the Indonesian team narrowed the gap with a goal from player Shane Battanama.

In the second half, the Iraqi national team surged ahead, scoring three goals through Osama Rashid, Yousif Amin, and Ali Al-Hamadi.

Looking at the history of their encounters, the teams have officially met four times, with the Indonesian team failing to overcome the Iraqi side in any of these matches.

The first encounter between the two teams was in 1973 during the qualifiers for the 1974 World Cup, resulting in a 1-1 draw. In the return leg of the same tournament, Iraq secured a 3-2 victory.

In 2013, Iraq defeated Indonesia in the Asian Cup qualifiers with a 1-0 win in the first leg and a 2-0 victory in the second leg.