Al Zawra'a — Zakho: 4:0, Iraqi League

Al-Zawraa saw off Zahra 4-0 in the fourth round of the Iraq League on Friday night. The home side opened their account through M. Qasim just before the quarter-hour mark, then never looked back. It was a comfortable evening for the leaders as they extended their unbeaten run to four matches.

H. Ahmed doubled the lead in the 37th minute, finishing a move that cut Zahra open at will. By then the visitors were already searching for a reply, but the home defence held firm. Ahmed struck again after the break in the 53rd minute, and Zahra's hopes were fading fast. H. Abdulkareem added a fourth in the 62nd minute to seal the result.

The turning point came in the 69th minute when S. Jameel collected a yellow card and was then shown red before the half was done. Zahra were reduced to ten men and could not recover. By then Al-Zawraa had already built a two-goal cushion that proved insurmountable. A. Attwan was also sent off late on in the 90th minute plus six.

Al-Zawraa registered four shots on target with five off target, while Zahra found the net zero times. The hosts held 54 per cent possession and made 57 attacks compared to 56 for the visitors. It was not a flashy display, but they punished Zahra when opportunities arose. To be fair, the visitors offered little in the way of structure after going behind.

The victory keeps Al-Zawraa top of the table with eight points from four games. They have won twice and drawn twice, remaining undefeated. Zahra sit 15th with four points after one win, one draw and two defeats. The gap between them widens by four points after this result.