Russia U21 vs Iraq U23

Russia U21 closed out their two-game friendly series against Iraq U23 with a narrow 1-0 win on June 9 in Manavgat, Turkey — a tight, hard-fought affair that only sparked to life in the dying stages. For much of the match, neither side could find a way through. Then, around the 80th minute, Iraq's Muslim Al-Hamdani was shown a second yellow card and dismissed, leaving his side a man down at a crucial moment. With the numerical advantage, Russia pushed forward and earned a penalty after a foul on Gleb Popolitov in the box. Andrey Ivlev stepped up coolly and converted from the spot in the 83rd minute to secure all three points. The win completed a dominant double-header for Russia U21, who had already dismantled Iraq U23 5-1 just four days earlier. For the young Iraqis, two heavy defeats and a red card in the rematch point to discipline and defensive gaps that will need addressing.