Iran–Iraq football rivalry
| Other names | Iran vs Iraq |
|---|---|
| Locale | Asia |
| Teams |
 Iran Iraq |
| First meeting |
1 June 1962 (54 years ago) |
| Latest meeting |
Iran 3–3 Iraq 2015 AFC Asian Cup (23 January 2015) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 25 |
| Most wins | Iran (14) |
| Top scorer |
Ali Daei (4) |
| Largest victory |
Iran 4–0 Iraq 1964 Olympic qualification (2 January 1964) |
The Iran and Iraq national football teams are sporting rivals[1][2][3] who have played each other since 1962.
According to The Malay Mail, "Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch".[4]
The most recent match between the two teams was the quarter-final of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup where Iraq knocked Iran out on penalties. Iran were knocked out at the quarter-final stage for the third time in a row, whereas Iraq reached the semi-final for the second time in the past three editions of the tournament.
Origins
The rivalry is not such a football-inspired ill-feeling between the two, but more of geography, religion and history.[1] Iran and Iraq are neighbouring countries, sharing a long history. In contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran–Iraq War for 8 years.[2][3]
In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.[3]
Major tournament matches
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| Iran |
3–3 (a.e.t.) | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
Azmoun  24'Pouraliganji 103'Ghoochannejhad 119' |
Report | Yasin 56' Mahmoud 93'Ismail 116' (pen.) |
| Penalties | ||
Hajsafi  Pouraliganji  Nekounam Hosseini Ghafouri Jahanbakhsh Teymourian Amiri |
6–7 | Abdul-Amir Salem Ismail Adnan Mahmoud Kasim Hussein Shaker |
Matches
Statistics
| Matches held in Iran | 10 |
| Matches held in neutral venue | 13 |
| Matches held in Iraq | 2 |
| Total matches | 25 |
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Daei | 4 |
| 2 | Hamid Shirzadegan | 3 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Hossein Kalani | 3 | |
| 3 | Various players | 2 |
See also
References
- 1 2 Duerden, John. "Asia awaits neighbourly rivalry". ESPN. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- 1 2 Montague, James (January 13, 2011). "Pitch Warfare: Iran face Iraq in soccer grudge match". CNN. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Iran-Iraq classic rivalry". Iran Daily (4924). November 5, 2014. p. 11.
- ↑ Montague, James (January 22, 2015). "Iran vs Iraq: Quarter-final clash reignites decades-old rivalry". The Malay Mail. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ↑ Panahi, Majeed (7 August 2014). "Iran - International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ Courtney, Barrie (21 January 2011). "Iraq - List of International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved November 21, 2014.