Iraq lost 4-1 to Norway in its opening match in Group E of the 2026 World Cup, at the Gillette Stadium in Boston, in the second participation of the "Mesopotamian Lions" in the World Cup, 40 years after its debut in 1986.
Despite the loss, the Iraqi team performed relatively well, and was a counterpart to the Norwegian team in many periods, but the decline in performance in the middle of the second half led to the defeat.
The Vikings' "descendants" owe the victory to their star and top scorer Erling Haaland, who led his country with two goals and an assist.
Haaland scored his first World Cup goal, after opening the scoring in the 29th minute with a cross from the left side directly around the goal of Jalal Hassan, to give Norway the lead in the result.
Iraq equalized with a goal from striker Ayman Hussein after an organized attack, as he rose to Ibrahim Bayesh's cross, and put it on his head in a beautiful way to the left of the Norway keeper in the 39th minute.
The Iraqi joy was short-lived, after a mistake by defender Zaid Tahsin caused the ball to return to goalkeeper Jalal Hassan, and Haaland took advantage of it in the best possible way, scoring Norway's second goal in the 43rd minute.
Ibrahim Bayesh and Ayman Hussein almost put Iraq back in the score before the end of the first half, but they wasted two real chances, and the half ended with Norway leading 2-1.
At the beginning of the second half, the Iraqi team appeared well, and was the most willing party and attacking attempts, but it lacked the necessary effectiveness.
In contrast, Leo Östegaard ended Iraq's hopes of a comeback, after scoring the third goal with a header in the 76th minute.
Christian Thorsthveit added the fourth goal in the 90+7th minute with an assist from Haaland, after which the referee blew the final whistle to declare Norway a quadruple victory.
France defeat Senegal in historic Mbappe record night
France achieved its first victory in the 2026 World Cup, after defeating its Senegalese counterpart (31), on Tuesday evening, in a revenge meeting with memories of the opening of the 2002 edition, which witnessed a historic Senegalese victory.
The match was characterized by strong competition and convergence in level, but France's determination was decisive in the second half, which saw the scoring of 4 goals, to confirm the French national team's brilliance in the opening matches of the World Cup under the leadership of its coach Didier Deschamps.
The French national team faced a lot of difficulties in the first half, because its opponent was defensively organized and prevented it from exploiting its strengths on the sides by watching Michael Ollies as well as Ousmane Dembele, and the back line succeeded in dealing with the few balls that reached Kylian Mbappe, while the French goal was threatened on more than one occasion, especially after Niklas Jackson's ball hit the post, and the "Lions of Teranga" showed the ability to quickly move from defensive to offensive with superiority in bilateral dialogues.
France clearly raised their level in the second period, trapping their opponent in their defensive zone, relying on the prowess of Olís, who was the engine of all attacks, and the pressure resulted in a goal signed by Mbappe, who had earlier wasted a solo on Senegal goalkeeper Bernard Mendy. France confirmed their right to victory with a second goal from substitute Bradley Barcolla.
The match ignited in extra time after Senegal's Ibrahim Mbappe's goal, which responded to his Paris Saint-Germain teammate, but Mbappe was back on the front foot, scoring the brace in the match.
Mbappe saves France
Kylian Mbappe played the role of savior for his country again after a period in which he was absent. Thanks to his goal against Senegal, he surpassed the number of goals for the French national team (57), with 58 goals, and surpassed Lionel Messi's record (13), in the number of goals in the World Cup, with 14 goals, and he now aspires to equal or break the record of Germany's Miroslav Klose (16 goals), and he has also joined the list of players who have scored in three editions of the World Cup.
This strong start confirms the Real Madrid striker's determination to write history as he is able to improve his numbers, after his excellence in previous editions, and his contribution to the crowning of the French national team in 2018 and obtaining the runner-up in the 2022 edition in Qatar, where the World Cup seems to be the French player's favorite competition.
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