Baghdad – WAA
The national team coach, Jesus Casas, confirmed that the most important thing was to achieve the three points and the physical factor was influential in the match.
“The most important thing is certainly three points. We did not have much possession of the ball, and the physical factor was the reason for that. In general, the first match is not always easy,” Casas said in a press conference after the end of the match between our national team and its Omani counterpart (1-0), which was hosted by Basra International Stadium on Thursday evening, as part of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, followed by the (INA). “We saw teams like Australia, Qatar and South Korea stumble at the beginning, and in any case, these are just three points from one match, and we have nine matches remaining. We have to think about each one separately.”
He added: “We have four days left before the match against Kuwait, and that is not enough to influence the players in order to make a change in the physical factor, but we have 26 players, and we have alternatives to compensate for the others who have become exhausted.”
Regarding the injury of player Ayman Hussein (man of the match) who was absent from the press conference, he explained: “We do not have details about the injury as he was transferred directly to the hospital after the end of the match.”
He concluded his speech by saying: “I always feel proud when we play in Basra, where the fans support us and back us, and the fans did their part.”