Arnold: Iraq's World Cup defeat to Norway due to individual errors

Shafaq News- Foxborough

Iraq national football team head coach Graham Arnold attributed Wednesday's 4-1 Group I defeat to Norway at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to individual mistakes by his players, stressing that the squad remains in contention to advance from the group stage despite the result.

Speaking at a post-match press conference in Foxborough alongside forward Aymen Hussein, Arnold identified a weak back pass to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan as the decisive turning point, pointing out that the error affected the players mentally at a critical stage of the match.

“The priority now is to draw lessons from the defeat and prepare for the remaining fixtures.”

Arnold said three points from either of Iraq's two remaining group games should be sufficient to secure a third-place finish and a place in the knockout round. Nine points remain available in Group I.

The coach also acknowledged the performance of Hussein, who completed 90 minutes despite an injury-disrupted season and scored Iraq's only goal of the night.

Hussein dedicated the goal to the late football legend Ahmed Radhi and to the Iraqi people. He said fine margins and Norway's experience proved the difference.

Iraq face France on June 23 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 AM local time.