The Iraqi national team coach, Graham Arnold, affirmed his commitment to the dream of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup after the difficult victory achieved by the Lions of Mesopotamia over the Indonesian national team with a score of (1-0), in the Asian playoff match held at Al-Jawhara Stadium in Jeddah, with the goal of the match scored by player Zidan Iqbal in the (76th) minute.

Arnold said: "The dream of qualifying for the World Cup is very important for Iraqi fans as it is for the players. We faced a lot of pressure in the first half, but after scoring the goal, things changed in our favor."

He added: "I think the pressure is now on the Saudi national team, as they have been thinking about our match for days, and this gives us a strong motivation before the upcoming confrontation."

He continued: "My message to the fans is not to celebrate too early, as we still have a difficult and complicated match against Saudi Arabia, and we will fight to achieve victory and continue on the path to the big dream."

Arnold concluded: "We received a strange red card that contributed to our slight setback, and I was surprised by the referee's decision. We will work on correcting mistakes and dealing with the expected absences in the next match."

The Australian coach pointed out: "The Indonesian national team performed well and was an organized opponent. I noticed their significant development, but we succeeded in handling the match with intelligence and calm until the end."

Arnold added about Zidan Iqbal: "Honestly, Zidan impressed me in training and even during the match. I have been following his performance with his club Utrecht, and we are lucky to have him in the national team."

He confirmed: "Ayman Hussein is likely to return in the match against Saudi Arabia, and he will be a strong addition to the team, especially given our need for a striker with his specifications and abilities inside the penalty area."

Arnold concluded his statements by saying: "We will start preparing for the match against Saudi Arabia immediately. We know that the match will be crucial in the qualification path, and we will fight to make the fans happy and achieve Iraq's dream of the World Cup."