Iraq loses 2-0 to Venezuela in World Cup warmup in Illinois

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's national football team fell 2-0 to Venezuela in a friendly match played in Illinois on Saturday. Cristian Cásseres Jr. opened the scoring in the 17th minute after breaking past the Iraqi defense, and Jesús Ramírez doubled the advantage early in the second half. Iraq's task grew harder in the 72nd minute when forward Ali Youssef was shown a straight red card, forcing his team to finish the match with 10 players. The defeat came as Iraq prepares for its first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1986. Under head coach Graham Arnold, the former Australia manager, Iraq will begin its Group I campaign against Norway before facing France and Senegal. Iraq, ranked 57th in the current FIFA standings and seventh among Asian teams, entered the match on the back of recent results that included a victory over the United Arab Emirates and two wins at the FIFA Arab Cup.