Al Zawraa thrash Naft Missan 4-0 in the league

Al Zawraa secured a convincing and deserved victory against their visitors Naft Missan with a score of 4-0 on Tuesday evening at their home ground, in the third round of the Iraqi Premier League.

From the opening whistle, Al Zawraa's intentions were clear. Their style of play was better, and they dominated the match completely, while Naft Missan retreated to defend and relied on quick counterattacks in an attempt to snatch a surprise goal.

The continuous pressure from Al Zawraa translated quickly, and the breakthrough came in the 15th minute when the referee awarded a penalty. Louay Al-Ani stepped up to take it and initially missed, but the ball came back to him, allowing him to slot it into the net and announce Al Zawraa's lead.

Al Zawraa did not settle for just one goal. In the 40th minute, Mohammed Qassim scored the second goal for the team, further increasing the pressure on the visitors' defense.

Just before the end of the first half, in the 48th minute of added time, Hiran Ahmed added the third goal with a precise shot, allowing Al Zawraa to finish the first half ahead by three goals and effectively settle the match from the first half.

In the second half, the pace of the match slowed down somewhat with timid attempts from Naft Missan, but Al Zawraa maintained their superiority and managed the game with experience.

In the 70th minute, Youssef Aziz scored the fourth goal, capping off the goal festival and confirming Al Zawraa's complete dominance throughout the 90 minutes.

Al Zawraa's emphatic victory provided a significant morale boost after two setbacks in the first two rounds, restoring confidence among the players and the coaching staff led by Mohammed Qassim. It also served as a clear reconciliation with the fans, who turned out in strong numbers to support the team and were the 12th player.

Despite a heavy defeat, Naft Missan will seek to make amends in the upcoming rounds, especially as they are still at the beginning of their journey with two points.

With this victory, Al Zawraa increased their tally to five points after two draws and a win, while Naft Missan remained on two points after two draws and a loss.