History of Al Zawraa's encounters with Qatari clubs

The Gulf Club Champions League opens the rich historical records between Iraqi and Qatari football as Al Zawraa visits Qatari club Qatar tomorrow evening in Doha.

The image brings to mind a history that spans decades, featuring thrilling and breath-taking matches in various major Asian competitions such as the AFC Champions League, Asian Cup Winners' Cup, and AFC Cup. Al Zawraa has faced five different Qatari clubs in official matches: Al-Sadd, Al-Rayyan, Al-Gharafa, Al-Duhail SC, and Al-Arabi.

The report reviewed the details of major historical encounters, starting with the most frequent meetings against Al-Sadd, which have always been characterized by excitement and high competitiveness since the 1990s.

Analysts noted the figures: "The two teams first met in the Asian Club Championship in 1996, with Al Zawraa winning the first leg in Baghdad 1-0, before losing the second leg in Doha 1-2, allowing Al-Sadd to advance on away goals."

The match was repeated in the AFC Champions League 2002-2003 at the Al-Shaab Stadium, ending with Al-Sadd winning 2-1. This led to the AFC Cup 2009 where the teams exchanged victories, with Al-Zawraa winning 2-0 in Dubai and Al-Sadd winning 5-1 in Doha.

Additionally, highlighting the most beautiful memory for Al-Zawraa fans against Al-Rayyan: "Al-Zawraa achieved a historic comeback in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup for the 1999-2000 edition. After losing the first leg in Doha 1-2, they shook the Baghdad stadium with a resounding victory of 5-2, qualifying with an aggregate score of (6-4) to the semi-finals. They then renewed their victory over Al-Rayyan in the third-place playoff of the same tournament with a score of 4-1, clinching the Asian bronze medal."

The historical context highlighted the nature of the tough encounters against other Qatari clubs such as Al-Gharafa, Al-Duhail, and Al-Arabi: "Al Zawraa faced Al-Gharafa (formerly known as Al-Ittihad) in the AFC Cup 1997-1998 and lost 1-3 away, and their 2-0 victory at home in Baghdad was not enough to progress.

History smiled on Al Zawraa against Al-Arabi in the AFC Cup 2012 with a golden victory of 2-0 and an away draw in Doha of 1-1.