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Al-Talaba returned to winning ways under the management of Jamal Ali in the 1988–89 season, which was played in a different format to previous seasons. They finished fourth in the Baghdad Group, just ahead of Al-Shorta, to qualify for the final tournament, where they finished second in Group 1, behind Al-Zawraa, to qualify for the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Al-Talaba defeated Al-Tayaran 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.&lt;ref name="Iraq 1988/89"&gt;&lt;/ref&gt; In the final, Al-Talaba faced their rivals, Al-Rasheed, at the Al-Shaab Stadium. The match ended 1–1 at full time with their goal scored by Ali Hussein. It went to penalties where Hussein Saeed missed his penalty and enabled Al-Rasheed to win 5–4. That season, Al-Talaba also finished as runners-up in the Al-Intisar Cup, behind Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.