#3 India's record against Iraq in international competition
If we state India’s record against Iraq to be poor it would be an understatement. The word abysmal might come close, but we can decide upon that on a later date.
The first time the two nations locked horns was in the 1974 in the Asian Games in Tehran. The outcome was a 3-0 thrashing handed out by the Iraqis. And four years later when they again met in the same competition Arun Ghosh saw his side succumb to a second defeat in as many Asian Games by the same scoreline.
India, in fact, had to wait 15 years since their first meeting to score a goal against Iraq. Former Mohun Bagan midfielder Satyajit Chatterjee’s put one past Iraq when they met against the middle east nation in the 1989 Nehru Cup. However, that wasn’t enough as Iraq ran out 2-1 winners.
Whilst India did get a credible 1-1 draw against Iraq when they met in Kolkata in 1990, it was business as usual two years later in Kochi as India succumbed to a narrow 1-0 defeat.
When pitted against each other in Olympic qualifiers (where three players over the age of 23 are allowed per team) in 2007, the Iraqis thrashed India again by a 3-0 scoreline in their home leg. Whilst India were able to garner a credible 1-1 draw in the home leg, it was never enough to progress further.
The last time the two sides met was in 2010 when Iraq ran out 2-0 winners in an international friendly.
