Iraq's Zidane Iqbal on beating UAE, 'crazy' atmosphere in Basra and being one game away from World Cup

Iraq defeated UAE 2-1 in the second leg of the World Cup qualifier play-off last week in Basra, thanks to Amir Al Ammari’s dramatic penalty winner in the 17th minute of added time. It sealed a 3-2 aggregate win and took Iraq a step closer to next year's finals in North America.

Former Manchester United youngster Zidane Iqbal, 22, now with Utrecht in the Netherlands, came off the bench with his side 1-0 down. He was influential in changing the game and The National spoke to him after he got off his flight back from Iraq.

Q: How did it feel to defeat UAE and be only a game away from Iraq’s first World Cup finals for 40 years?

Iraq must beat Bolivia or Suriname to qualify for 2026 Fifa World Cup finals

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A: Honestly, it was surreal. We were 1-0 down, then we equalised and when I heard the noise the fans made I knew we had a winner in us. I looked around and I saw my boys, everyone jumping, everyone pumped up. It was like we had another 10 per cent energy.

It’s hard to describe it, but I got goosebumps. Then we got a penalty in the last minute. I saw the corner come in and the ball hit someone's hand, but I wasn't that sure that would be handball from my angle.

Then I saw the referee touching his ear, speaking to someone. And you know that when he does the VAR sign, he's going to have a look at a screen with a high chance of giving the penalty.

The referee came back, did the square with his hands and pointed at the penalty spot. The crowd just went crazy, 60,000 people. Wow!

How do you think Iraq played?

At the start, the team was a bit nervous and a bit wary because we knew the consequences if we lost. It was a very high-stakes game, nobody wanted to make a mistake, but we also must show our personality a bit more.

We went 1-0 down, but that also meant we had nothing to lose and we could go for it. I thought we deserved to win and thankfully we did because our dream's still alive and now we're 90 minutes away from cementing our names in Iraqi football history.

We've been waiting for a long time and all sharing the same goal. It'll be nice to pay fans back because they support us so much and I think it's only right they get to watch us at a World Cup.

You’ve been injured and came on with 40 minutes to play. Was it difficult entering the game like that?

Having no pre-season was tough as that’s where you gain your fitness. So I came back and everyone else had a pre-season and rhythm, while I was trying to pick up minutes.

For Iraq, the manager Graeme Arnold and his assistant, Rene Meulensteen, told me of my importance to the team. They told me to be ready and as soon as we conceded the first goal, the gaffer just pointed at me and said, “You're coming on”.

It's tough coming back from injury but I think I'm coming back to myself more. And I think I had a positive impact on the game. We controlled the game better, had better ball possession and, of course, we had more chances and we won.

I'm just ready to give 100 per cent, whether they need me in the first minute, the last minute, whether I start or I'm off the bench making an impact.

How did the UAE play?

So they were decent, they have quality. And the players originally from Brazil and Portugal add quality. UAE have good technical ability and scored an offside goal. The games are about little moments like that.

We also had a big chance that we missed then they scored seconds later before VAR checked and it was offside. When things like that happen you start to think it’s going to be your night. And so do your fans.

Do you speak to the UAE players after the game?

Yes. It's another Arab team and the public are respectful. You greet people because they're your guests coming to your country. I felt we were greeted well and with respect when we came to Abu Dhabi and wanted to return that feeling.

In football, we fight on the pitch to try to win the game. Some you win, some you lose. Football shouldn't separate anyone, but it brings everyone together.

If we’d lost I would have said ‘congratulations’ but instead we said ‘unlucky’. A few of my teammates went to the UAE fans and clapped them.

You’ve mentioned the atmosphere in Basra a few times. It looked crazy. The stadium is modern, but people might not associate Iraq with scenes like this?

Maybe when some think of Iraq they don’t think of football, but football is their freedom, their enjoyment, it brings the whole country together. Our country is unique: we have Christians, Muslims, Jews, Kurds, Arabs.

Everybody becomes one when we play. There's no politics, no arguments, everyone is supporting the team. It's nice to know we have that responsibility that brings the whole country together.

And then you have the stadium. It’s close to full three hours before (kick-off). When we check the pitch, we clap the fans, they sing back. You start to get goosebumps. Then you walk out of the tunnel for the game and it's just amazing. It takes 5-10 minutes to relax into these surroundings.

And then, when we scored the winning goal in the 107th minute … honestly I’ve not heard a noise as loud as that in a stadium before. And I've been to many, many stadiums. It’s a moment that will stick with me for a long time.

After everyone was jumping up and down, our bench ran on the pitch, my other teammates were all running around jumping on each other. We knew that in four months we have 90 minutes to get to the finals. We spoke after: none of us have experienced something like that before.

What language do the players speak to each other in?

We've got quite a few foreign Iraqis. I'm half Pakistani, half Iraqi and eligible to play for my mum's side. And we've got a lot of Iraqis that moved to Sweden, Norway and Denmark. We've got a couple in Germany, quite a few in Europe. We all speak English.

Then with the Iraqi players that were born and raised in Iraq, some of them speak English and some of them speak just Arabic. Most of the team can speak both languages. With me, my Arabic is not amazing but it's decent. I've got enough to get by.

But football is one language, you know? One game, pitch, movement, passing, patterns. Everyone understands what you need to do when the game starts.

You’ll play Suriname or Bolivia next in Monterrey, Mexico. Your thoughts on that?

Yes, March 31st. Both teams are strong. Bolivia were in the tough South American group. And Suriname have a lot of players in the Eredivisie [The Dutch top-flight, where Iqbal plays for Utrecht]. There's a lot of Surinamese people here, so most of their team is like Iraq – players who qualify through their parents.

I can't even guess who's going to win between Suriname and Bolivia, but I'm excited because we've never been so close to a World Cup. I see on social media that they’re so excited.

What did your Iraqi mother say?

To be honest, it's more my dad celebrating and so happy for me. My mum was just in tears of happiness – like many Iraqis, she loves football.

Mum, dad and brother came to the game in Abu Dhabi for the first leg and my brother came to Iraq. He’s never been to Basra to watch a game, so that was his first time. And what a first time.