
Al-Shorta open 6-point lead in Iraqi Stars League after Al-Zawra'a suffer shock loss
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Al-Shorta SC took a giant leap towards securing the 2024-2025 Iraqi Stars League title on Sunday (June 15, 2025), following a dramatic day of results in Round 35 that saw their closest rivals, Al-Zawra'a, suffer a shock defeat.
In a stunning result, Al-Qasim SC defeated title-chasing Al-Zawra'a 2-1 at Al-Zawra'a's home ground. Al-Qasim raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Mohammed Khalid (25′) and Saif Rasheed (27′). Though Mamadou Soro pulled one back for Al-Zawra'a, it wasn't enough, leaving them frozen on 74 points.
Meanwhile, Al-Shorta capitalized decisively, cruising to a 4-0 victory over Al-Naft at Al-Shaab International Stadium. Sajjad Jassim opened the scoring with a penalty, followed by second-half goals from Mahmoud Al-Mawas and a brace from Mohamed Ben Ouanes.
These results push Al-Shorta to 80 points, opening up a commanding six-point lead at the top of the table over Al-Zawra'a, a potentially decisive advantage as the season nears its conclusion.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Iraqi News
4 days ago
- Iraqi News
Real Madrid held by Al-Hilal in Alsonso's debut
Miami Gardens – Federico Valverde missed a stoppage-time penalty as Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup on Wednesday. A large contingent of Real fans in a crowd of 62,415 at the Hard Rock Stadium were left frustrated after new manager Xabi Alonso's first game in charged ended with the points shared. For the Saudi club, with Italian Simone Inzaghi also making his debut on the bench, it was an impressive performance where they caused Real's defence plenty of problems before securing a hugely encouraging surprise result. Al-Hilal started off in effervescent fashion and went close in the 19th minute when Salem Aldawsari volleyed back in to the box and Marcos Leonardo's effort flew just wide. Renan Lodi had the ball in the net for the Saudi side but the effort was ruled out for offside from another dangerous break Aldawsari showed his pace but dragged his shot just wide. Real gradually gained more control over the game and Rodrygo went close in the 31st minute when he cut in from the right and his left-foot effort zipped just over the bar. But Real's quality was starting to shine through and they grabbed the lead in the 34th minute. Gonzalo, starting in place of the absent Kylian Mbappe, started the break from deep and a clever exchange of passes concluded with Rodrygo drilling a low ball into the box where Gonzalo, who had continued his run, provided a delicate finish. It was a classic counter-attacking goal but it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the Saudi side who continued to press forward with energy. Four minutes before the break, they drew level when Raul Asencio was ruled to have pulled down Marcos Leonardo and Portugal international Ruben Neves calmly tucked away the penalty. The dangerous Aldawsari, who scored the winner for Saudi Arabia in their upset win over Argentina at the World Cup in Qatar, threatened again just before the break. But Real came out strongly after the interval with Arda Guler introduced at the break rattling the bar with a volley from a Vinicius Jr. cross. Moments later, Gonzalo brought a fine save out of Yassine Bounou with a firm header from a Vinicius crosss and then Valverde flashed a shot wide from 25 yards out. Having survived that storm from Real, Al-Hilal began to creep back into the game and ask some questions again of the Real defence. But with three minutes of normal time remaining Real were handed the chance to take all three points when Mohammed Al Qahtani was ruled to have put his hand in the face of Fran Garcia as he tried to hold off the challenge of the Real left-back. But Valverde's shot was saved by the diving Bounou to give the Saudi team a point after a hugely creditable performance.


Iraqi News
5 days ago
- Iraqi News
Iraq handball team to hold Sulaymaniyah camp for World Cup qualifiers and Islamic Games prep
Baghdad ( – The Iraqi national men's handball team will hold an internal training camp in Sulaymaniyah, starting June 20, 2025, as part of its preparations for the upcoming Islamic Solidarity Games and World Cup qualifiers. Kadhim Kamel, a member of the Iraqi Handball Federation, stated that the camp will be crucial for head coach Goran Petković to select the final core squad for these major international tournaments. He noted that the recent participation in the Arab Cup in Kuwait was a useful and important experience that gave the Croatian coach a clear understanding of the players' levels. Following the Arab Cup, an extensive technical meeting was held, chaired by Federation President Ahmed Riad, where a comprehensive preparation program for the upcoming championships was presented. The Arab Cup served as the initial testing ground for players selected from the domestic league. The Sulaymaniyah camp marks the next phase in this strategy, aiming to refine the squad and ensure Iraq is ready to compete effectively for positive results.


Iraqi News
6 days ago
- Iraqi News
Al-Shorta open 6-point lead in Iraqi Stars League after Al-Zawra'a suffer shock loss
Baghdad ( – Al-Shorta SC took a giant leap towards securing the 2024-2025 Iraqi Stars League title on Sunday (June 15, 2025), following a dramatic day of results in Round 35 that saw their closest rivals, Al-Zawra'a, suffer a shock defeat. In a stunning result, Al-Qasim SC defeated title-chasing Al-Zawra'a 2-1 at Al-Zawra'a's home ground. Al-Qasim raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Mohammed Khalid (25′) and Saif Rasheed (27′). Though Mamadou Soro pulled one back for Al-Zawra'a, it wasn't enough, leaving them frozen on 74 points. Meanwhile, Al-Shorta capitalized decisively, cruising to a 4-0 victory over Al-Naft at Al-Shaab International Stadium. Sajjad Jassim opened the scoring with a penalty, followed by second-half goals from Mahmoud Al-Mawas and a brace from Mohamed Ben Ouanes. These results push Al-Shorta to 80 points, opening up a commanding six-point lead at the top of the table over Al-Zawra'a, a potentially decisive advantage as the season nears its conclusion.