Al-Zawraa claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Al-Kuwa Al-Jawiya in the Iraqi League's seventh round on Wednesday evening. The visitors moved clear at the summit after the hosts lost their man early. H. Ahmed's first-half strike proved decisive against a side diminished from the outset.
M. Sami's red card in the twelfth minute changed the complexion of the game. To be fair, Al-Kuwa had been competitive enough until that moment, but losing a player so soon forced them onto the back foot. By then, Al-Zawraa had already sensed the advantage and pressed accordingly. Ahmed's goal in the thirty-ninth minute came as the visitors kept knocking on the door.
The statistics tell one story while the result tells another. Al-Zawraa registered 151 attacks against 82 for the hosts and tested the goalkeeper eight times on target. Al-Kuwa managed only three shots on target despite maintaining 48 percent possession. And here's the thing — possession meant little when you cannot convert chances.
At the other end, the visitors' clinical edge showed through. They took eight shots on target and found the net once, while the hosts could muster only three attempts on goal. Al-Zawraa's away record remains unblemished, and this result extends their unbeaten run to seven games. The clean-sheet run came to an end for the hosts, who had shown resilience in previous fixtures.
The table now reflects the gap between the sides more clearly. Al-Zawraa sit top with fifteen points from four wins and three draws, while Al-Kuwa remain in eleventh place on seven points. The home side's recent form included a convincing 3-2 win over Kerbela, but this result suggests they have work to do. Al-Zawraa will need the points badly if they are to hold every card in the title race.
