Casas: The correct reading of the match with Indonesia enabled us to win

Baghdad - INA 

Our national team coach, Jesus Casas, considered the correct reading of the course of the match with the Indonesian team to be the key that enabled Iraq to achieve victory with two clean goals.

Casas said during a press conference following the match - followed by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “Today’s confrontation was difficult and different for us after the end of the first half, but after the correct reading of the match and through the changes we made, we were able to win and snatch the match points. The red card helped us control the match, but in the second half we played better than the opponent, regardless of the numerical deficiency of the Indonesian team, and in the end we won and played a good match.”

Casas added, "Our desire is always that with every match we play with high pressure on our opponents, but their reading of the match was good in the first half, and this is what made the match difficult for us, and made us not play the way we prefer."

Casas considered, "The next stage of the World Cup qualifiers will be difficult and different, because it will include high-level teams, such as Japan, Korea, Iran, and other teams aspiring to qualify. Certainly, it will be our dream to qualify, and we will do our best for that."
Casas said, "The Indonesian team is the most likely to secure the second qualification ticket alongside us, because it has good elements, and its level is rising from one match to the next, and their next confrontation against the Philippines, I believe, will be decided in their favor."

National team player Ayman Hussein spoke during his participation in the same conference, saying: “I congratulate my colleagues after achieving victory in today’s match, and despite the team’s condition in the first half, where we were not successful as a group, but in the second half we improved the high pressure, and we were the initiators even before the attack. "The opponent was sent off, and we were able to score and control the match."

The best player in the match added, “The Indonesian fans who attended the match were wonderful, and they had terraces and artistic paintings that were beautiful.”

He pointed out, “The humidity is high in East Asian countries, but we have to get used to it, and teams may face you in the next stage with similar weather. As for the pitch, it was not ideal, but it was kind of good, and we adapted to it as the minutes of the match progressed, and we were able to win, and we congratulate them.” “For the Iraqi fans, we got points for the match and we hope to meet them in Basra to get the full score at this stage, and look forward to the next qualifiers.”