Maysan - Al-Forat
Al-Zawraa moved clear at the top of the Iraq Stars League after a valuable 2-1 win away to Naft Maysan at the Maysan Olympic Stadium in Amara in the seventh round, in front of a big crowd.
Al-Zawraa went ahead in the first half with a header from a defender after a corner, before Naft Maysan equalised from the penalty spot early in the second half. The visitors then snatched the winner in the closing minutes with a shot from outside the box that settled in the far corner.
Alone at the top
Al-Zawraa now have 17 points from five wins and two draws, two points ahead of Al-Shorta, who were held to a goalless draw by Al-Karkh, and three ahead of Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, who lost 1-0 to Zakho, while Naft Maysan remain on nine points in eighth place.
“We came to Amara knowing how hard the task would be against a strong side at home in front of their own fans, and the players fought until the last minute”Al-Zawraa coach at the post-match press conference
The Naft Maysan coach regretted his side’s defeat despite their control of the second half, saying they had missed easy chances that could have settled the match, and expressed confidence that his players could make up for the loss in the coming matches.
Round results
In the round’s other matches, Al-Talaba beat Diyala 3-1, Al-Najaf defeated Al-Kahrabaa 2-0 and Naft Al-Basra drew 1-1 with Erbil, while the round will be completed with two fixtures: Al-Minaa against Duhok and Al-Qasim against Al-Diwaniyah.
The race for the Asian qualification places has heated up early, with only four points separating the top five, and the coming rounds are expected to bring decisive clashes, most notably the eagerly awaited top-of-the-table meeting between Al-Zawraa and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in Baghdad.
Observers praised the organisation at the Maysan Olympic Stadium, whose stands were filled by more than 20,000 fans, a sign that crowds are returning in force to league grounds after the opening of a number of modern stadiums in the provinces.
