Aymen Hussein Scores for Iraq in FIFA World Cup 2026 Match

Boston. While the result of the game tells one story, Ayman Hussein has another story to tell. When Iraq lost 4-1 to Norway in the first match of the World Cup, he was in the losing team. However, this excellent striker managed to leave his indelible mark on football's biggest stage. In the 39th minute, Hussein equalized the lead given by Erling Haaland with an excellent header. This gave the fans of Iraq, returning to the World Cup after 40 years, a golden opportunity to celebrate. In the end, this goal proved to be only a consolation, and later it was overshadowed by his own own goal. Even so, this was the second goal in Iraq's history in the main stage of the World Cup. Iraq's head coach Graham Arnold said, 'He is a player who is very difficult for the opposition to control inside the penalty box. I am very happy with him and I am proud of him.' However, Hussein's journey to the World Cup was very difficult, which could have easily taken a different turn. 'This is what the World Cup brings' Hussein grew up in an Iraq where football alone used to unite people amidst turmoil and unrest. Despite all the adversities, when the national team won the Asian Cup in 2007, it brought a wave of celebration across the country. The then Iraqi players were semi-professional. Due to the security crisis in their country, they were forced to prepare for the tournament in Jordan. At that time, tens of thousands of people were losing their lives every year due to the conflict in Iraq. While celebrating the surprising victory over South Korea in the semi-finals, a suicide bombing attack occurred on supporters in Baghdad, in which dozens lost their lives. This turned their joy of victory into mourning. Young Hussein also suffered great personal loss. In 2008, he was only 12 years old. His father, who was a soldier in the Iraqi army, was shot dead by Al-Qaeda while he was in the market to buy building materials. A few years later, another tragic incident occurred. While the country was in turmoil, his elder brother was kidnapped. He is still missing since being kidnapped. In an interview, Hussein said, 'I decided to quit playing football to take care of the family, but my mother did not agree.' His mother rather encouraged Hussein to pursue his dream. On the foundation of that dream, he has played an important role in taking Iraq to the World Cup for the first time since 1986. However, the journey to this point was certainly not easy for the 30-year-old player. Upon arriving in America earlier this month, he was detained and questioned for about seven hours at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. This disrupted his World Cup preparations. Although the Iraqi team's photographer Talal Salah was not allowed entry, Hussein was eventually allowed to enter America. When Hussein deceived Norway's goalkeeper Orjan Nyland and scored with a header, it was a moment of great pride. Hussein's continuous goals for Iraq For those who have been closely watching Hussein's progress, his impressive performance against Norway was no surprise. Since 2023, he has been consistently performing excellently for the 'Lions of Mesopotamia'. His ability to control the ball in the air and his accurate shots inside the penalty box are very impressive. He was the team's best player during Iraq's historic World Cup qualifying campaign. He scored a total of 12 goals when qualifying for the World Cup through the inter-confederation play-off. This number is more than double that of any other player in the team. He scored when the team needed it most during the qualifiers. With the help of the decisive goal he scored against Bolivia in Guadeloupe last March, Iraq secured their place in the World Cup with a 2-1 victory. However, some questions were raised about his form before the World Cup. Last season, he did not get enough playing time for his club Al-Kharma. But he has given a strong answer to the doubters by putting up a fighting performance against one of the best teams in the tournament. Despite the adversities, he made the most of the opportunities he got. Coach Arnold said, 'He had to face a lot of injuries during the season. It is truly excellent to play for 90 minutes with the same energy and even score in such a situation.' If Hussein continues this level of performance, Iraq can keep its hopes of reaching the next round alive. Iraq's challenging group 'I' also includes strong teams like 2022 runner-up France and Senegal. BBC