Iran–Iraq football rivalry
| Other names | Iran vs Iraq |
|---|---|
| Locale | Asia |
| Teams |
 Iran Iraq |
| First meeting |
1 June 1962 (55 years ago) |
| Latest meeting |
Iran 0–1 Iraq Friendly (18 March 2017) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 26 |
| Most wins | Iran (14) |
| Top scorer |
Ali Daei (4) |
| Largest victory |
Iran 4–0 Iraq 1964 Olympic qualification (2 January 1964) |
The Iran and Iraq national football teams are sporting rivals[1][2][3] who have played each other since 1962.
According to The Malay Mail, "Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch".[4]
The most recent matches between the two teams were the quarter-final of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup where Iraq knocked Iran out on penalties (Iran who were hoping for their first title in nearly 40 years were knocked out at the quarter-final stage for the third time in a row, whereas 2007 Asian Cup champions Iraq reached the semi-final for the second time in the past three editions of the tournament), and a friendly match in March 2017 hosted in Iran, where Iraq won the game by one goal to end Iran's two-year unbeaten streak.
Origins
The rivalry is not such a football-inspired ill-feeling between the two, but more of geography, religion and history.[1] Iran and Iraq are neighbouring countries, sharing a long history. In contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.[2][3]
In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.[3]
Major tournament matches
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| Iran |
3–3 (a.e.t.) | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
Azmoun  24'Pouraliganji 103'Ghoochannejhad 119' |
Report | Yasin 56' Mahmoud 93'Ismail 116' (pen.) |
| Penalties | ||
Hajsafi  Pouraliganji  Nekounam Hosseini Ghafouri Jahanbakhsh Teymourian Amiri |
6–7 | Abdul-Amir Salem Ismail Adnan Mahmoud Kasim Hussein Shaker |
Matches
Statistics
| Matches held in Iran | 10 |
| Matches held in neutral venue | 13 |
| Matches held in Iraq | 2 |
| Total matches | 25 |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei | 4 |
| 2 | Hamid Shirzadegan | 3 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Hossein Kalani | 3 | |
| 3 | Various players | 2 |
See also
References
- 1 2 Duerden, John. "Asia awaits neighbourly rivalry". ESPN. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- 1 2 Montague, James (January 13, 2011). "Pitch Warfare: Iran face Iraq in soccer grudge match". CNN. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Iran-Iraq classic rivalry". Iran Daily (4924). November 5, 2014. p. 11.
- ↑ Montague, James (January 22, 2015). "Iran vs Iraq: Quarter-final clash reignites decades-old rivalry". The Malay Mail. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ↑ Panahi, Majeed (7 August 2014). "Iran – International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ Courtney, Barrie (21 January 2011). "Iraq – List of International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved November 21, 2014.