Kurdistan Region youth team seal impressive 4-0 win in Norway Cup opener

The Kurdistan Region’s youth team began their 2019 Norway Cup campaign on Sunday with an impressive 4-0 win against opponents Drøbak-Frogn IL.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s youth team began their 2019 Norway Cup campaign on Sunday with an impressive 4-0 win against opponents Drøbak-Frogn IL.

Halo Fayaq gave Kurdistan the lead in the 22nd minute after he reacted to a rebound from the opposition goalkeeper.

The Kurdish side dominated the entire match and doubled their lead after a lightning counter-attack in the 36th minute finished off by Daran Mustafa.

Kurdistan added a third in the 52nd minute before Faysal Qasim made it 4-0 four minutes later to seal the victory.

The Kurdistan youth team are in Group 1 of the Boys 18 to 19-year-old 11-a-side-league. They are one of 63 teams from four different countries in the division, which are separated into 16 groups. Group matches are played with two 30-minute halves instead of the traditional 90-minute games with two halves of 45.

Kurdistan’s second group match is against Hasle-Løren IL on Monday at 1:40 p.m. Erbil time.

Ahead of their first game, Kurdistan’s coach Sanan Jalal said his team had traveled a long distance to get to Norway and their goal is to leave as champions.

“We know the quality of the teams we are facing, but we are determined to get all three points from our matches and advance in the Norway Cup,” Jalal told Kurdistan 24.

“We call on all of our fans here in Oslo and all across the world and Europe to support us because only with their support will we be able to attain victory.”

The Norway Cup is considered the world’s largest football tournament for youth under the age of 19. In recent years, over 2,000 teams from different parts of the world have participated in the competition.

(Additional reporting by Shukur Mohammed)