Russia U21 vs Iraq U23

Russia U21 delivered a dominant display in Antalya, cruising to a convincing 5-1 friendly victory over Iraq U23 in a match they controlled for long stretches. Aleksandr Pomalyuk broke the deadlock right on the stroke of half-time before Ivan Bober doubled the advantage five minutes after the restart. Vitaly Bondarev extended the lead on 75 minutes, and although Hussein Al-Kurayshy pulled one back for Iraq in the 84th minute, any hope of a comeback lasted only seconds. Timofey Komissarov struck in the 88th minute and Stepan Glotov added a fifth deep in stoppage time to round off the scoreline emphatically. Three players were cautioned during a lively afternoon. The result gives Russia U21 real momentum ahead of a second meeting with Iraq U23 on June 9, while the Iraqis will need to address their defensive vulnerabilities before that rematch.