Iraq vs Norway 1-4 — Visitors Confirm Their Class

Norway beat Iraq 4-1 in a group-stage match where the expected-goals numbers backed up the visitors' advantage — 2.52 to 0.8 — converted into a convincing gap on the scoreboard.

With possession split 61-39 in the visitors' favor, Norway completely dictated the tempo for almost the entire match, and the final 4-1 scoreline simply confirmed the team's statistical superiority in every area of the pitch.

12 shots to 11 — but the finishing gap proved decisive

A curious detail from the match: in terms of total shots, the sides were almost even — 12 for Norway against 11 for Iraq — but it was accuracy that decided the result.

5 visitor shots found the target against just one for the hosts.

Iraq's defense couldn't handle the pressure across the match

At 1-4, Iraq conceded four times as many goals as they managed to score, despite a relatively even number of chances created.

The numbers confirm that the gap in finishing quality, not the volume of attacking play, was the decisive factor in this match.

A goals-prevented reading of -0.4 for both sides

A negative goals-prevented figure for both teams means the actual result was slightly worse than the model expected based on shot quality faced.

A statistic confirming efficient finishing from the Norwegian attack on the night.

537 passes for the visitors against 334 for the hosts

The gap in possession volume shows up clearly in the passing numbers — Norway strung together considerably more combinations.

Completing 477 of 537, while Iraq's figure sat at just 271 of 334 passes attempted.

Discipline stayed relatively controlled

Iraq picked up just one yellow card for the entire match against none for the visitors.

A reading that reflects the hosts' struggle to contain the volume of Norwegian attacking play more than any openly physical battle on the pitch.

5 corners for the visitors against 2 for the hosts

The set-piece numbers confirm the scale of Norway's territorial edge.

The team created danger near Iraq's goal not just through open play but through set pieces for much of the match.

A lopsided scoreline against a relatively even shot count

What makes this match interesting is exactly that contrast — the two sides created almost the same number of chances by shot count.

But Norway proved significantly more efficient in the decisive moments, and that gap in finishing produced the four-goal margin on the scoreboard by the final whistle.

The group stage continues for both sides

For Iraq, the result is one more reminder of the need to sharpen finishing, while Norway confirmed their status as one of the more organized sides at this stage of the tournament.

The three points from this match move Norway closer to sealing their spot in the knockout rounds ahead of schedule.