Al-Minaa and Naft Misana Share Points in Iraq League
Al-Minaa Basra and Naft Misana drew 1:1 in the Iraq League's regular season on Tuesday. The visitors had already collected three draws from five matches, while the hosts carried seven points from their opening round. And here's the thing — both sides could have walked away with more.
D. Gueye Dieme opened the scoring in the fifty-second minute for Al-Minaa. The home side dominated possession at sixty-five per cent but struggled to convert that control into clear chances. To be fair, Naft Misana did not need much — one shot on target was enough to level things.
The equalizer came in the ninety-second minute of stoppage time. Naft Misana finally found a way through, though no scorer was named for the late strike. By then the visitors had already shown they could survive the pressure, drawing twice against Al-Minaa and Zakho earlier in the campaign.
The statistics told a familiar story. Al-Minaa registered 139 attacks compared to 68 for the visitors, yet both teams managed only one shot on target each. Seven corners apiece suggested the game stayed wide, with neither side able to break down the other's defensive shape.
The result keeps Al-Minaa in eleventh place with seven points from five matches, while Naft Misana remain rooted at twentieth with just three points. The hosts have lost two of their last three league outings, dropping form after earlier victories over Garraf and Zakho.
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