Ayman Hussein: We know facing France will be tough, but we are ready for it

Ayman Hussein, the captain of the Lions of Mesopotamia, stood in front of the microphones at the press conference ahead of the clash with France, with the demeanor of a player who lost but did not break. Iraq left the Norwegian stadium defeated 1-4, but the Iraqi striker refused to reduce the story of the match to just numbers. "We played a good match against Norway and showed high fighting spirit throughout the match, and we were close in level."

The first sentence was a defense of the honor of performance. Ayman believed the result was unfair: "We even managed to impose our style and control the game during the first half. I think the result did not reflect our true performance." He is partially right, as the first half against the Vikings was purely Iraqi, before everything collapsed physically and mentally in the second half.

The Iraqi sniper spoke in the language of a player who has participated in major tournaments. He understands that the World Cup is not played with feet alone: "In such matches, experience plays an important role, alongside the fighting spirit that the players possessed, which helped us a lot in matching the opponent."

Ayman's message to his young teammates is clear: the big name of the opponent does not win the match, but the one with the stronger heart in crucial moments does. He concluded his part about the Norway match with a balanced admission: "We are satisfied with the level we showed, although we are not satisfied with the result." Technical satisfaction and anger over lost points... this is the mix of a great player.

He confirmed that the page was turned quickly: "We returned to training with high morale and great focus, and we are working seriously in preparation for the upcoming confrontation." There is no time for regret in a group that includes France, Norway, and Senegal.

The most prominent moment at the conference was when he was asked about facing Dayot Upamecano, the Bayern Munich and France defender. The response came with the confidence of a striker who does not fear names: "We realize that the French team is one of the strongest in the world, but we will enter the match with our usual style and known character."

Then he surprised everyone with his courage: "I am not afraid of facing Upamecano, on the contrary, I am happy to play against one of the best defenders in the world. Such matches give the striker an additional motivation to prove himself."

Here Ayman transforms from a striker to a fighter. He knows that a goal against France would mean more than 3 points... it would mean entering history. Facing a defender of Upamecano's caliber is an opportunity to prove that Ayman Hussein is not just a qualifying scorer, but a striker capable of shaking the nets of the best.

But the most notable thing Ayman said was not about football. He spoke of a manly stance reflecting the team's identity: "We requested to raise the Iraqi flag from the field because the name of Allah is on it, and it is unacceptable for us to have it placed on the ground. Therefore, we communicated with the International Football Federation and asked them to raise it, and they responded to our request."