Tunisian Touch Sparks Diyala to Late 1-1 Draw vs Naft Maysan in Iraqi Premier League
5 January 2026
Matchday drama in the Iraqi Premier League
Diyala avoided defeat, drawing 1-1 with Naft Maysan on Monday in the tenth round of the Iraqi Premier League.
The Senegalese Dawuda Dieme opened the scoring for Naft Maysan in the third minute, but Tunisian Thamer Al-Salahi, aged 33, equalized in the 95th minute.
Diyala moved to 20 points, sitting second, four points behind Erbil.
Naft Maysan collected their sixth point, sitting 19th and second last.
Meanwhile Noorouz defeated Naft 2-0 in the same round, with Mohammed Dalawar and Claudio Maradona scoring; Naft Yakhi was sent off.
Noorouz rose to 7 points, moving up to 18th, while Naft stood at 11 in 15th.
Other results and standings
Al Kahraba beat Al Minaa 2-1, with Nihad Mohammed scoring in the 14th minute for Al Kahraba.
Abbas Yas equalized for Al Minaa in the 90+9th minute from a penalty, but Al Kahraba clinched the winner two minutes later in a dramatic finish that also saw a red card for an Al Kahraba player at 90+1.
Al Kahraba moved to 8 points in 17th place; Al Minaa remained on 13 in 12th.
Punchlines: If this league were a sniper, the last-minute drama would be its favorite target—boom, the crowd goes wild. And remember, in football as in stand-up, timing is everything; tonight the timing was lethal—beautiful, brutal, and hilariously late.
