Hussein struck the equaliser from the spot four minutes after Ukraine had gone ahead through Valentyn Rubchynskyi with Ali Jasim’s spectacular winner settling the contest in favour of the West Asians.
The 28-year-old forward praised the resoluteness of the Iraqi side as they fought back to earn three points after being put under tremendous pressure by Ukraine for much of the game.
“The match was difficult but the players showed a strong performance, and we managed to change the result,” said Hussein after the match.
“We showed the character of champions and now, we are one step closer to our target of reaching the second round.
“I must also congratulate the Iraq fans who supported us in the stadium today, and I thank them for this support.
“They helped push us and I dedicate this win to our fans and the technical staff and Iraq FA.”
With only the top two teams in each group advancing to the knockout stage, the result puts Iraq in a great position after Matchday 1.
They jointly lead the standings with Morocco, who defeated two-time champions Argentina by the same scoreline.
Saturday’s fixtures see Iraq facing Argentina while Morocco will fancy a second win when they take on Ukraine.