Zawraa’s Revival Sparks a Weekend of Iraqi Premier League Drama

Weekend in the Iraqi Premier League: Zawraa’s surge and more

Al-Zawraa continued their ascent under coach Emad Al-Nahhas, securing a second straight win by beating Mosul 3-1 away in the sixth round of the Iraqi Premier League.

Mehdi Al-Hamidan starred, scoring twice in the 22nd and 35th minutes, with Hassan Abdul Karim adding the third in the 58th; Fonik Roch scored Mosul’s consolation in the 60th.

Zawraa’s victory follows their previous round win over Al-Qasim; they stand on eight points in 12th place, with a postponed match against Police from Round One.

By contrast, Mosul’s tally stays at six points in 14th after their fourth defeat of the season.

Other notable weekend results

Al-Minaa defeated Al-Qasim 2-0, with Ahmed Mahmoud scoring in the 23rd and 64th minutes. The win lifts Al-Minaa to ten points in 10th place, while Al-Qasim remains bottom with a single point.

Al-Talaba edged Naft Maysan 2-1 in another intriguing encounter, thanks to Mohammed Mazhar’s 38th-minute strike and Sief Rashid’s 77th. Demi Dawooda reduced the gap in the 82nd minute. Talaba moved to 11 points in 7th, Naft Maysan on 3 points in 17th.

Karkh and Electricity shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw, with Mohammed Khalid opening for Karkh in the 34th minute and Ishaq Mansah equalizing from a 60th-minute penalty. Karkh rose to 11 points in 6th, Electricity to 2 points in 19th.

Police recovered their winning form by beating Karmah 1-0, with Basam Shaker striking in the 20th minute. Police sit on 12 points in 3rd, while Karmah have 10 in 5th.

Erbil grabbed top spot with a 1-0 win at Nouruz, courtesy of an 82nd-minute own goal by Ogjèn Merŝich. Erbil reached 16 points, three clear of Diyala in second; Nouruz lingered on 3 points in 18th.

Najaf earned a valuable 1-0 win over Amanat Baghdad thanks to Idrissa Niang’s goal, but a red card shown to Tunisian Hamdi Al-Abidi left Amanat Baghdad with ten men for much of the match.

Gharafa and Zakho, as well as Duhok and Naft, played to goalless draws, with defenses on top and chances at a premium.

Powerful moment: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya handed Diyala their first defeat of the season, 2-1, with Saad Abdul Amir and Harith Hatim scoring for the visitors, while Collins Obari pulled one back for Diyala. A Diyala red card compounded the setback and tightened the title race.

Punchline 1: I don’t always watch Iraqi football, but when I do, I prefer a 3-1 thriller.

Punchline 2: If football were a spy novel, this weekend would be full of twists, turns, and a referee with excellent plot armor.