Al-Talaba — Al Karkh: 3:2, Iraqi League

Al-Talaba beat Al-Karkh 3-2 in the Iraq League's Regular Season round six on Tuesday evening. The result keeps both sides in the bottom half of the table, though the margin of victory tells only part of the story. And here's the thing about matches like this — you don't need to watch ninety minutes to see where it turned.

S. Rasheed opened the scoring in the thirteenth minute, giving the hosts early confidence. S. Alaa then doubled the lead with a brace, striking in the twenty-eighth and thirty-seventh minutes. By then Al-Talaba looked comfortable, and to be fair, they deserved that cushion.

Al-Karkh refused to stay down. M. Mezher pulled one back in the sixty-fourth minute, and H. Amaar equalised three minutes later. The momentum shifted completely, and suddenly the game was anything but settled.

That's when Al-Talaba found another gear. They worked the channels, pushed forward, and took the lead again. The final whistle confirmed three points, but the way they earned them — through waves of pressure rather than patient build-up — felt familiar.

Al-Talaba remain in nineteenth place with three points from six games. Al-Karkh sit eighteenth on four points, but that single win from their opening fixtures means they're not far off.

Both sides have been grinding out results recently. Al-Talaba's last match ended 0-0 against Zakho, while Al-Karkh lost 1-0 to Karbala on Thursday. This win extends their unbeaten run to five matches across all competitions.