World Cup: Iraq vs Norway

At 6 a.m. Beijing time on June 17, at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Iraq, returning to the World Cup after 40 years, will face Norway, returning after 28 years — a match with seemingly uneven strength on paper but full of uncertainties, a Group I life-and-death battle.
Norway is the most underestimated dark horse of this World Cup. In the Euro qualifiers, they won all 8 matches, scoring 37 goals and conceding only 5, with Haaland netting 16 goals in 8 games, tying Lewandowski's record; Odegaard returned from injury, leading a 4-3-3 attack driven by two core players, dominating Europe. The team’s total value is 601 million euros, 12 times that of Iraq, this is not a match, but a blow from a higher dimension.
But Iraq is far from a pushover. In a warm-up match on June 5, they drew 1-1 with Spain, with ironclad defense making 27 shots from the European champions go fruitless. Head coach Arnold made three tactical changes, claiming before the match, "They don’t know how we play." A 5-4-1 bunker formation combined with sharp counterattacks is the survival tactic of this West Asian team. However, drawing with Spain is at friendly match intensity; facing Haaland’s dominance in the penalty area and Norway’s average of 4.6 goals per game, Iraq’s backline may struggle to hold for 90 minutes. Norway aims to set the tone in the first match, securing 3 points to lock in qualification control.
Prediction: Norway 2-0 victory, Haaland to score, Iraq’s resilience is commendable but their ceiling in strength is clear.