Former MU player best in Indonesia's defeat

Zidane Iqbal became the bright spot in Iraq's 1-0 victory over Indonesia in the second round of Group B of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on the morning of October 12.

Zidane Iqbal scored the only goal, ending Indonesia's World Cup dream.

At King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Zidane Iqbal was brought in at the start of the second half and immediately made a difference. The player who grew up in the MU training academy helped the Iraqi midfield operate more flexibly, increase the attack tempo and control the ball effectively.

In the 76th minute, Iqbal fired a low shot from outside the penalty area, the ball went straight into the net of goalkeeper Maarten Paes, bringing the only goal of the match. The goal helped Iqbal be voted "Player of the Match", affirming his decisive role in Iraq's victory.

In the summer of 2023, MU decided to sell Iqbal to FC Utrecht for 1 million euros. Iqbal's technical background and ball control ability are highly appreciated, but he is not appreciated by coach Erik ten Hag.

Back in the match, "Tim Garuda" had a decent performance. However, just a moment of lapse of concentration, the Southeast Asian representative had to pay a very high price. Indonesia closed the chance to participate in the World Cup after 2 consecutive losses.

In the final round on October 14, Saudi Arabia and Iraq will "fight to the death" to compete for the top spot in the group, which means a ticket straight to the 2026 World Cup next year. The losing team will face the risk of the intercontinental play-off.

Source: https://znews.vn/cuu-cau-thu-mu-hay-nhat-tran-thua-cua-indonesia-post1592932.html