'The Vietnamese team has good tactics, and the young players are very promising.'

The Iraqi national team won 1-0 against the Vietnamese national team in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at My Dinh Stadium on the evening of November 21.

Coach Jesus Casas's team controlled the game, creating numerous scoring opportunities. In the second half, Casas brought on striker Mohanad Ali, who then made his mark with a powerful header in the 97th minute, securing a dramatic victory for Iraq.

The Iraqi team asserted their class.

Coach Jesus Casas is proud of his players.

After the match, coach Jesus Casas shared: "The Vietnamese team is a quality team, I knew that before the match. However, against a quality opponent, the Iraqi team had some opportunities. I am happy that both teams played with dedication, delivering a very good match. In particular, I am pleased that striker Mohanad Ali made a strong comeback after two years of injury with a goal in this match."

The Iraqi national team's strategist also praised the Vietnamese team's ball-control style of play, describing it as clear, coherent, and well-planned.

"I think both the Vietnamese and Indonesian teams are very high-quality. The Vietnamese team has a clear playing style; they want to control the ball and create space for attacking down the flanks, which looks quite promising."

"This is a positive development for building a style of play in football. The 2026 World Cup qualifiers have only just begun; it's a long journey, and many difficulties await Iraq as well as the other teams in the group," Casas affirmed.

"The young Vietnamese players are of good quality, which is encouraging. When they play well, it opens up a bright future for Vietnamese football, although it's too early to compare or evaluate the performance of Vietnamese players with that of experienced Iraqi players," Coach Casas added.

Mohanad Ali, the striker who scored in the 7th minute of added time, shared: "First of all, I am very happy that Iraq got 3 important points. With this goal, I am happy because it is my first goal for Iraq after 2 years of injury."

"It was a tough match. We had chances in the first half but didn't score. In the second half, Iraq tried to boost their morale and made an effort to find a goal. Fortunately, Iraq secured all three points."

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-iraq-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-co-dau-phap-tot-cau-thu-tre-rat-tiem-nang-185231121212027463.htm