Spain Held to Draw by Iraq in World Cup Warm-Up Match

Spain's Preparation Match Ends in Stalemate

Madrid, June 5: In a recent World Cup warm-up encounter, Spain faced Iraq in La Coruna, resulting in a 1-1 draw. The Iraqi team showcased a robust defensive strategy against a significantly altered Spanish lineup.

Coach Luis de la Fuente introduced Barcelona's Marc Bernal and Real Sociedad's Jon Martin for their first appearances, despite them being part of the support squad for the upcoming 26-man World Cup roster.

Several key players were missing, including injured stars Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, and Victor Munoz, along with Champions League finalists Martin Zubimendi, David Raya, and Fabian Ruiz. Additionally, Mikel Oyarzabal, Pedri, and Marc Cucurella were given rest, as reported by Xinhua.

Joan Garcia was selected as the goalkeeper, raising questions about whether he or Athletic Club's Unai Simon will start against Cabo Verde on June 15.

Garcia was out of position when Iraq's Merchas Doski netted the equalizer in the 27th minute, catching the goalkeeper off guard as he anticipated a cross.

Prior to that, Spain had dominated the match against a defensively organized Iraq, with Ferran Torres scoring in the 16th minute after a clever dummy by Borja Iglesias allowed him to finish with his left foot. Torres later hit the crossbar before halftime, but despite controlling 72 percent of possession, Spain struggled to penetrate Iraq's defense.

The second half saw De la Fuente field more debutants, including Marc Pubill, who is set to travel to the World Cup, along with Real Madrid's Gonzalo Garcia, Sergio Gomez from Real Sociedad, Valencia's Javi Guerra, and Mallorca's Leo Roman, who is not part of the World Cup squad.

Spain failed to generate significant chances against a resilient Iraqi defense in the latter half, while Iraq proved to be a challenging opponent despite being placed in a tough group alongside France, Senegal, and Norway.

Spain is scheduled to head to the United States on Friday for their final warm-up match against Peru in Puebla, Mexico, on June 9, before kicking off their World Cup journey against Cabo Verde on June 15. Iraq will take on Norway two days later.

In other matches, France suffered a 2-1 defeat to Cote d'Ivoire, where Guela Doue outperformed his brother Desire by scoring and assisting in the upset victory. After Rayan Cherki initially put France ahead, Guela equalized with a stunning goal and later assisted Amad Diallo for the winning goal.

Meanwhile, Sweden's preparations faltered as they drew with Greece in their send-off match in Stockholm, following a previous loss to Norway. Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres equalized for Sweden with a deflected free-kick, but Giorgos Masouras equalized for Greece deep into injury time.