Syria continued their preparations for the forthcoming Asian Cup with an impressive 1-0 win against defending champions Iraq in an international friendly played at Sulaymaniyah Stadium.

The visitors, who will be coached by Romanian coach Tita Valeriu in the Asian Cup, should have opened the scoring after 43 minutes but Mohamad Zeno missed a penalty. Syria Midfielder Taha Dyab netted the winner with only four minutes remaining to secure the morale-boosting win. The two teams will meet again on Wednesday in Syria.