Bassem Qassem explains reasons for defeat against Duhok

A somber atmosphere enveloped Al Zawraa's camp following a harsh and unexpected defeat against Duhok, losing three goals to nil in the ninth round of the Iraqi Premier League, in a match held at Duhok Stadium. This loss kept Al Zawraa's tally at 18 points, maintaining their position as runners-up, while Duhok's tally rose to 12 points in seventh place. It raised many questions about the performance of the white team, which had hoped to return to Baghdad with three points to tighten the gap on the leaders. In the press conference held immediately after the match, head coach Basim Qasim and player Louay Al-Ani spoke to the media. Coach Basim Qasim, who appeared deeply affected by the result, took responsibility for the loss along with the players. He said: "It was a difficult match, and we knew well the size of the challenge, but we were never at our best. The loss is harsh with a three-goal margin, and we did not expect this scenario." He added: "We conceded an early goal in the 3rd minute through Aso Mohammed from a header; this goal disrupted all our calculations. We tried to come back, but the first half was balanced, sometimes we were better, and sometimes Duhok was better, and there were many tackles and issues that caused us to lose our focus." Regarding the controversial moment in the match, Qasim explained: "We scored the equalizer in the 40th minute through Isyaka Adem, but the referee, after reviewing VAR, decided to cancel it for offside. We respect the referee's decision, but this decision affected the players' morale before the end of the first half." He continued discussing the second half: "In the second half, we suffered a lot from giving spaces and gaps in the back, and Duhok exploited this excellently. Their players have speed, and they scored the second goal through Younes Hamoud in the 49th minute. After that, we tried to press, and we conceded the third goal through Aso Mohammed in the 81st minute with a beautiful goal." Basim Qasim concluded his remarks with an apology: "We apologize to the large Al Zawraa fans; this result does not befit the name of the club, but the league is still long, and we will work to correct the mistakes. Now we must close the chapter on the Duhok match and start thinking about the match against Qatar SC in the Gulf Clubs Championship, as it is very important for us." For his part, player Louay Al-Ani, who participated in the match, spoke about the disappointment in the dressing room. He said: "What happened today does not befit us as players or the name of Al Zawraa. We delivered a poor performance, especially in the second half." He added: "The travel was long, lasting seven hours, and we had a training session immediately upon arrival, but this is not an excuse. We were ready, but we did not implement what the coaching staff asked of us." Al-Ani continued: "We tried to come back after the first goal, we pressed and scored a goal that was canceled for offside. If it had counted, the match would have taken a different course, but that’s football, and Duhok deserved to win because they exploited our mistakes." Al-Ani concluded: "We promise the fans that this will be the start of correcting our course. Our tally is now at 18 points, and we have dropped to third place, but we are still close to the top, and we must learn from this harsh defeat.