Iraq sealed a 1-0 victory over Indonesia in Jeddah on Saturday to maintain their hopes of a first World Cup appearance since 1986 as Zidane Iqbal's second-half strike eliminated Patrick Kluivert's side from Asia's qualifiers for next year's finals.
Former Manchester United midfielder Iqbal, who currently plays his club football for Utrecht, netted with 14 minutes remaining after coming off the bench at the start of the second half for Graham Arnold's team.
The result means Iraq will face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with the winners of the tie qualifying for the World Cup while the runners-up advance to another round of preliminaries. Indonesia, meanwhile, have been eliminated after two losses.
"We knew it would be a tough game with the temperature and everything but this 1-0 victory will give us a lot of confidence," said Iqbal.
"It will be a tough game against Saudi Arabia but hopefully we will win."
The Southeast Asians had looked the more likely to pick up the victory needed to keep their own World Cup dream alive.
Kevin Diks glanced his early header wide of the Iraq goal and Thom Haye was narrowly off target with a strike from distance soon after as the Indonesians made a bright start.
Mauro Zijlstra was denied his first international goal by a last-ditch tackle by Manaf Younis, the Iraq defender snuffing out the opportunity at close range as the 20-year-old forward latched onto Haye's pass into the six-yard box.
Sherko Karim's header that flew over the bar in the 29th minute was as close as Iraq came to troubling Indonesia goalkeeper Maarten Paes with Kluivert's side controlling the opening 45 minutes without reward.
A mistake by Rizky Ridho was to cost the Indonesians, however, as the defender gifted Iraq possession and the ball eventually ended up at the feet of Iqbal, who slotted a perfect finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Tempers flared as the final whistle approached, with Indonesia captain Jay Idzes acting as peacemaker when his side's fans pelted the pitch with water bottles in disgust at a disputed decision by referee Ma Ning from China.
Zaid Tahseen was sent off for a second bookable offence nine minutes into stoppage time but Iraq held on to maintain their hopes of joining Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Jordan as Asia's representatives at next year's finals.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds