Ali Yousif broke the deadlock in the 20th minute and gave Iraq the lead over Andorra in their FIFA International Friendly at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi in Girona. The goal changed the rhythm of the match just as the contest was starting to open up after a choppy first spell.
The friendly began at 18.00h in Montilivi, with the whistle sending 11 players on each side into a game that was already drawing attention because of the gap between the teams. Iraq entered as the clear favorite on FIFA standings, sitting 57th to Andorra’s 173rd, and the early possession reflected that edge as Iraq held most of the ball in the first quarter.
Andorra did not stay pinned back. After initially settling into possession, it slowly found its rhythm and began to gain more control of the pitch even while Iraq still carried much of the early initiative. Play was also repeatedly broken up by fouls, which made the opening stages less fluid than the scoreline eventually suggested. Yousif’s finish cut through that stop-start pattern and gave Iraq the only decisive moment of the half-hour so far.
There is still plenty the scoreboard does not say. Iraq’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying run, completed under Australian coach Graham Arnold after a 40-year drought, hangs over the side’s recent progress, but this match was always supposed to be a different kind of test: a friendly, and a chance to see how the team handled pressure away from the stakes of qualification. Whether Iraq can protect the lead or Andorra can turn its growing control into something more dangerous remains the question as the match moves on.
