Iraq knocked out of U-20 World Cup
The Iraqi U-20 national team ahead of their match against Japan in the Asian Cup semi-final on March 15, 2023. Photo: Iraq National Team/Facebook
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi national under-20 football team was knocked out of the U-20 World Cup on Sunday after a 0-0 tie against England.
Iraq’s third match in the tournament was held at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In its first match in the tournament against Uruguay, Iraq lost 0-4. The Iraqi youth team lost 0-3 against Tunisia in the team’s second match.
Argentina is hosting the 23rd edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, taking place between May 20 and June 11, 2023.
This is the fifth time the Cubs of Mesopotamia have appeared in the international tournament. The team achieved a historic fourth-place finish in the 2013 tournament.
The Iraqi youth team will have to compete without some of their key players, including Haider Abdul Karim and Abdul Qadir Ayoub. Abdul Karim received too many yellow cards in previous matches, while Ayoub was injured during the team’s match against Tunisia.
This match is the second between Iraq and England in the U-20 World Cup, as they previously played one match in the 19th edition of the tournament, which was held in Turkey in 2013, and ended in a 2-2 draw.
In that match, the English team advanced 2-0, but the Iraqi team, led by its coach Hakim Shaker, succeeded in scoring two goals in the 75th minute and the 90th minute by Ali Fayez and Ali Adnan.