Jordan 1-0 Iraq Highlights, FIFA Arab Cup QF: Olwan's Penalty Seals Win For The Chivalrous Ones – As It Happened

Good evening, football fans! This is the start of our live blog covering the third quarter-final of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025, with Jordan taking on Iraq at Al Rayyan. Stay tuned for pre-match updates and line-ups as they are released.

• Fixture: Jordan vs Iraq, Quarter-final

• Venue: Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar

• Date: Friday, December 12, 2025

• Time: 8:00 PM IST

• Live Streaming: Alkass YouTube channel, Shoof

Jordan and Iraq have met each other 34 times in official and friendly matches. Iraq hold a massive head-to-head advantage, winning 21 of those games, while Jordan have won just eight times. Five games have ended as draws.

The last time these two sides met was in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers on June 10, 2025, where Iraq edged out Jordan 1-0.

Starting XI: Yazeed Abulaila; Abdallah Nasib, Saed Al Rosan, Husam Abu Dahab; Adham Al Quraishi, Nizarr Mahmoud Al-Rashad, Amer Jamous, Mohannad Abu Taha; Ali Olwan, Yazan Al-Naimat, Mahmoud Al-Mardi (c).

Bench: Noureddin Zaid (gk), Malek Samih Shalabiya (gk), Issam Smeeri, Hadi Al-Hourani, Mohammad Ali Hasheesh, Ali Ahmad Hajabi, Rajaei Ayed, Ibrahim Sadeh, Ahmad Ersan, Mohammed Abu Zrayq, Odeh Fakhoury.

Starting XI: Ahmed Basil; Mustafa Saadoon, Munaf Younus, Akam Hashem, Ahmed Hasan Maknazi; Ali Jasim, Zaid Ismail, Karar Nabeel, Amjad Attwan (c); Ahmed Yahya, Mohanad Ali.

Bench: Fahad Talib (gk), Jalal Hassan (gk), Maytham Jabbar, Saad Natiq, Hasan Abdulkareem, Mohammed Jawad, Amar Muhsin.

Referee Espen Eskas blows his whistle, and Iraq get tonight's match underway. While Iraq have been historically the better side of the two, Jordan have been on the rise, and many will back them to get a postiive result tonight. Stay tuned for live updates from the game!

It has been a breathtaking start to the contest, with both sides throwing caution to the wind and trying to get the early goal. Al-Naimat did well to put in a couple of stepovers, trying to make his way into the Iraqi box, but Hashem made a terrific standing tackle to win the ball in the box, but the Jordanian forward is hurt in the process.

A big blow for Jordan as their star striker, Yazan Al-Naimat, has to be stretchered off the field. Since that tackle in the box, he got his knee heavily bandaged and tried to continue, but he went down after a free-kick and could not continue any further. He is replaced by Odeh Fakhoury.

We have reached the half-hour mark, and Jordan have been the better of the two sides. The Chivalrous Ones have used the flanks wisely, and are looking for an opportunity to put in a cross for their tall forwards to capitalise on. For now, the Iraqi defenders are somehow hanging on.

Late drama!!! Al-Marti attempted to head down a ball into the box towards the centre, but it struck the elbow of Saadoon. The full-back had little idea about it, but the hand was in an unnatural position and prevented a goalscoring opportunity. VAR asks the referee to take a look on the pitch-side monitor, and he awards a penalty.

Ali Olwan steps up to take the penalty. The striker steps up under huge pressure, and after a short run up, sends Fadhil the wrong way to give Jordan the lead.

More drama before the break!! A brilliant ball from takes Fadhil by surprise, and Fakhoury fires it in from the far post. But his celebration is cut short as the flag immediately goes up, and the goal is overturned.

A case of nerves at the end from Jordan, as Abulaila spilled a cross from Jasim. It almost fell into the paths of the several Iraqi players in the box, but the Jordanian defenders cleared in time. Other than that, threats on either goal have been few and far between. A big second half awaits.

The referee blows the whistle, and Jordan get the second half underway, having secured a one-goal lead late in the first half. No changes at the break for either side as far as I can see.

Both sides have continued right where they left off, although this has been a much better start from Iraq. A free-kick is floated into the box, and Maknazi tries to attack it, but it's sent behind for a corner. The resulting ball into the box results in an acrobatic scissor kick from Hashem, but he catches a Jordanian player instead.

What a brilliant chance for Iraq! Jasim has a shot from 25 yards away, but it dipped at the end and needed to be tipped behind by a diving Abulaila. The resulting corner, however, leads to nothing, and Iraq need to build up again from their goalkeeper.

Iraq are firmly on the ascendancy at the moment and are piling the pressure on Jordan's goal. A piledriver of a shot from Jasim from the outside the the box brings out a diving save from Abulaila, but the goalkeeper hurts himself in the process.

Another injury blow for Jordan as the stretcher comes on for Abu Dahab. Ali Ahmad Hajabi comes on in his place. Meanwhile, with less than seven minutes of regulation time left, Iraq are giving it their all to find the all-important equaliser.

The fourth official holds up his board to indicate a minimum of six mintues to be added on at the end of regulation time. Six more minutes for Jordan to hold off Iraq's consistent waves of attack and seal a place in the semi-finals.

Iraq pushed and pushed for the equaliser, but credit to Jordan's defence for only allowing them shots from distance and no clear-cut chances to test Abulaila. At the end, the Chivalrous Ones hold on for the win, and they move on to the FIFA Arab Cup semi-final for only the third time, and the first time since 2022.