Iraqi Players Announce Readiness to Face France

The Iraqi national team closed the Philadelphia training chapter and opened the file for the toughest confrontation in its World Cup journey. The last session witnessed the presence of all players except for Mohannad Ali, whom the technical staff continues to prepare for a return in the final round match against Senegal.

The general scene in the Lions of Mesopotamia camp on Monday night was one: complete readiness and enthusiasm reaching the ceiling before Canadian referee Drew Fischer's whistle at midnight Mecca and Baghdad time.

The 1-4 loss to Norway did not break the team. On the contrary, Iraq appeared more mature and aware of the stage's magnitude. The players spoke with one voice: the past is a lesson, and the future is an irreplaceable opportunity against world champion France.

Team defender Rebin Solaka started from the most important point: the mental state. "The team's preparations were good, and today we had our last training session before facing France. Morale is high, and positivity prevails among all players."

Solaka does not deny the difficulty of the opponent: "Everyone realizes the importance of tomorrow's match against the French team, which is considered one of the best teams in the world, but we will strive to perform in a way that befits our team." Respect without fear, this is Iraq's equation.

When talking about the Norway match, he was realistic: "We played a good match against Norway, where the team appeared in a distinguished manner for 70 to 75 minutes." The problem was completing the 90 minutes, which Arnold is working on now. The goal is clear: "We look forward to presenting a good level throughout the match minutes against France."

But the moment of honesty came when he described the players' feelings: "We are excited to face the French team because as football players, if we are not excited to face a team like France, then when will the excitement rise? Yes, we are ready for the match of a lifetime." The match of a lifetime.. two words summarize any Iraqi player's dream of playing against Mbappe and Griezmann on the World Cup stage.

Solaka concluded his message to the audience: "The Iraqi fans have been our biggest supporters since day one, and we hope to succeed in making them happy and achieving what suits their ambitions tomorrow. Frankly, we have the best fans in the world, and we just want to make them happy and reconcile with them after the loss in the first match, and we promise them to present the best levels in the anticipated match tomorrow." A promise of reconciliation, and the Iraqi audience does not ask for the impossible.. it asks for a fight and a name that befits it.

Midfielder Mustafa Saadoun confirmed that the general atmosphere inside the camp is positive: "Preparations are going well, and all players are excited for tomorrow's match." But he emphasized Arnold's key point: focus from now. "We must enter the confrontation atmosphere from now with the highest degree of focus because the French team is one of the top contenders to win the championship."

Saadoun was decisive with the past: "The Norway match has become a thing of the past, and we will not be preoccupied with it, but we will learn from the mistakes." This is the mentality of big teams. No self-flagellation, but dissecting mistakes and turning them into fuel.

The technical staff played its role: "They clarified the positives and negatives that appeared in the last match, and we are working on correcting the mistakes and appearing in an honorable manner against France." And the ultimate goal remains the audience: "We hope for our Iraqi fans to continue their support and backing for us, and we will give everything we have to make them happy."

Middlesbrough star Zidan Iqbal spoke in the language of a player who began to understand the magnitude of the event. "We are preparing for the match as we always do; it is a new confrontation that requires us to give everything we have and exert maximum effort." The confidence is clear in his words: "I am confident that all players will be at their full focus and mental readiness tomorrow."

Zidan confirmed that the Norway lesson was beneficial: "We are not thinking about the Norway match because it has become a thing of the past, and now we better understand what it takes to play in the World Cup." They have overcome the awe of the first match: "We played our first match and overcame the initial awe, and we began to understand the nature of this tournament and the size of the pressures accompanying it."

He praised his relationship with Graham Arnold: "Our coach is great; he constantly communicates with us, whether as a group or individually, and asks each player about his feelings and what he expects from him on the field. We have a strong relationship with him, and this gives us confidence and helps us develop." This communication is the secret to Iraq quickly regaining its character after the Norway shock.

The only unhappy news is the continued absence of Mohannad Ali due to injury. The technical staff is not rushing his return and prefers to prepare him for the decisive Senegal match in the final round. The loss of Mimi is impactful offensively, but the presence of Ayman Hussein and Ali Jassim gives Arnold enough options to bother France's defense.