RIYADH: They have been labeled the dark horses of the 2026 World Cup, but even though Norway ultimately secured a 4-1 victory in their first appearance at the finals in 28 years, they were pushed hard by a dangerous-looking Iraqi side that stole the show for much of the first half.
Along the way, Erling Haaland scored a brace that set his side on the road to victory, while Aymen Hussein netted Iraq’s first World Cup goal since Ahmed Radhi in 1986.
Despite a 40-year absence from the finals since then, you would have been forgiven for thinking Iraq were World Cup regulars as they took the game to Norway from the start, showing exactly why the Lions of Mesopotamia deserve that illustrious nickname.
They showed their offensive capabilities as early as the 13th minute, when Amir Al-Ammari played a vertical ball towards Aymen Hussein. He swiftly laid it off to Ali Al-Hamadi, who turned Torbjorn Heggem but the Norwegian center-back nevertheless did well to prevent him from getting a clear shot and the ball flew over the crossbar.
Norway struggled to get their bearings in possession during the opening half-hour, and Martin Odegaard dropped deeper, alongside Sander Berge, to help the Red, White and Blue handle the pressure. However, coach Graham Arnold’s Iraqi squad remained resolute in the face of their opponents and continued to push.
In the 29th minute, however, a quick passing move allowed Norway to break down the left flank. Antonio Nusa released David Moller Wolfe in a dangerous position and the left-back delivered a cross across goal that Haaland coolly finished for his maiden World Cup goal.
Few would have expected Iraq to respond as quickly to this blow as they did, just 10 minutes later. Hussein might be 3 inches shorter than Haaland, but the way he rose to meet the ball and grab the equalizer in the 39th minute was nothing short of spectacular.
Ali Jasim showed remarkable patience in the buildup to the goal; the 22-year-old waited for Al-Ammari to burst beyond the Norwegian defense before slipping the ball to him in the box. Al-Ammari then delivered a precise cross for Aymen Hussein to head home.
Iraq’s delight was short-lived: just four minutes, in fact. In attempting to circulate possession across the back line, Zaid Tahseen played the ball back to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan who was under heavy pressure from Haaland. The Norwegian striker made no mistake, forcing the error and bundling the ball into the net for his second goal.
Once again, however, Iraq refused to lie down. In the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Ibrahim Bayesh came within inches of scoring, denied by Moller Wolfe’s last-ditch block. Two minutes later, Al-Hamadi broke free on the counter with clear sight of goal but hesitated, allowing the Norwegian defense to recover and deflect his effort out for a corner.
Iraq’s final chance of the half drew an audible gasp from the crowd, as Akam Hashim met a cleared corner with a blistering volley that went just wide, into the side-netting.
Given the way the first half ended, there was a feeling that the Iraqis could still find a route back into the game. However, as legs began to tire after the break they struggled to create the kind of clear opportunities that had come so naturally to them in the opening 45 minutes. Norway, meanwhile, were hardly dominant either.
A series of substitutions followed as both sides tried to refresh, the most decisive of which proved to be the introduction of Leo Ostigard for Norway. The center-back rose the highest to head home a corner in the 77th minute and all but seal the victory, albeit amid waved-away complaints from the Iraqis over an alleged Haaland foul on Bayesh in the buildup.
Norway added a fourth in stoppage time when Haaland met a far-post cross with a header that for a moment seemed like it might have completed his hat-track, but was actually deflected by Hussein into his own net.
It gave Hussein place in the World Cup history books as only the third player to score both a goal and an own goal in the same match at the finals, after Ernie Brandts for the Netherlands in 1978 and Mario Mandzukic for Croatia in the 2018 final.
For all the positives Iraq can take from their return to the World Cup after four decades, the result served as a reminder of the fine margins of error at football’s highest level. The Lions of Mesopotamia showed plenty of courage, quality and ambition but a handful of costly errors were ruthlessly punished by a Norway side that boasts one of the world’s deadliest strikers.
Next up in Group I, Iraq will face 2022 finalists France at midnight Saudi time on June 23, while Norway take on Senegal three hours later.
