Erbil — Diyala: 2:0, Iraqi League

Erbil beat Diyala 2:0 in the Iraq League's sixth round on Monday. A. Shebar opened the scoring in the fifteenth minute before I. Bayesh added a penalty deep into stoppage time. The result keeps the hosts second in the table with eleven points from five matches.

And here's the thing about the game's turning point — it came before either goal. A. Al Matari picked up a red card in the twenty-sixth minute, then received a second dismissal just a minute later. By then Diyala were already down to ten men and had no real chance of mounting an attack.

Erbil controlled the tempo from the start. They registered 136 attacks against 92 from the visitors and kept 58 per cent of possession. Four shots on target yielded one goal, while Diyala managed only one shot on target all evening. The visitors could not string anything together after going a man down.

Our prediction called for an Erbil win at 56 per cent confidence. That one came through, as expected. The hosts have not lost a game this season and showed no signs of faltering against a side that had already dropped points in their last three fixtures.

The statistics tell the full story without embellishment. Erbil produced eight shots off target to go with four on target, while Diyala managed four off target and one on target. The visitors also conceded four corners to Erbil's two and saw their goal kicks increase to fourteen in the second half as they chased the game.

For Erbil, the victory extends their unbeaten run to five games. They sit two points clear of the teams around them and have not yet tasted defeat in any of their opening six rounds. Diyala remain twelfth with five points and will need to turn things around if they want to climb out of trouble.