Goals from Ali Al Hamadi and Aymen Hussein helped Iraq reach just their second World Cup after a previous appearance in 1986. 'I said when he (Arnold) came to coach Iraq, I knew he was going to take us there.' 'I'm 26 and born here and it's an amazing experience especially with an Australian coach, it just makes the Australian-Iraqi connection so great,' said supporter Richard Yalda. 'I just say to them (the Iraqi fans): I'm so happy that we've made 46 million people happy,' Arnold said. One-time Newcastle Jets coach Robbie Stanton and former Socceroos goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac added an Aussie flavour to Arnold's game-day staff.

Source: Metro April 02, 2026 06:11 UTC