Iraqi coach does not want to give Vietnam a foothold

Iraq are one of four teams with a chance to finish the second qualifying round with a perfect record, along with Japan (Group B), UAE (Group H) and Australia (Group I). "We want to win the remaining match against Vietnam," coach Jesus Casas said after the win over Indonesia in Gelora Bung Karno.

Coach Casas's statement came in the context that Iraq has secured the top spot in Group F. However, Iraq's performance still has an impact on the remaining ticket, which is a competition between Vietnam (six points) and Indonesia (seven points). However, in the final round on June 11, if Indonesia wins the Philippines, the match between Vietnam and Iraq will only be a formality.

The Spanish coach also believes that Indonesia will advance. "I think Indonesia will be the next team in Group F to qualify for the second round," Casas said. "With the starting lineup like they did against Iraq, I'm sure they will beat the Philippines."

Casas's assessment comes from the reality at Bung Karno Stadium. Iraq started off with difficulty, even allowing Indonesia to pressure them and create a series of dangerous situations. It was not until Ali Jasim and Youssef Amyn were brought on in the second half that the visitors changed the situation.

Jasim scored in the 88th minute and won two penalties, with Aymen Hussein converting one in the 54th minute. Amyn sent off centre-back Jordi Amat in the 59th minute.

"Indonesia receiving a red card was an important detail of the match," Casas assessed. "However, in the face of that situation, we still played better than them in the second half."

Iraq left Jakarta for home immediately after the match on a private jet. They will host Vietnam at 9pm local time on June 11, or 0am Hanoi time on June 12, at the Basra Stadium, which has a capacity of about 65,000. The stadium is expected to be packed to see Casas and his team continue their winning streak.

In the previous six matches, Iraq won five and drew one against Vietnam. In the last two matches, Iraq won narrowly with a score of 1-0 in the second round of the 2026 World Cup second qualifiers, and 3-2 in the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup.