Asian Cup 2007 finals: This one's for war-torn Iraq
Congratulation to IRAQ soccer team.
Iraq beat Kingdom Saudi Arabia 1-0
Asian Cup finals: This one's for war-torn Iraq
JAKARTA: Iraq completed one of sport’s great fairytales by beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Asian Cup final on Sunday to provide a rare moment for celebration in their war-torn homeland.
The Saudis had been bidding to become the first nation to win the tournament four times, but Iraq, riding a wave of global sentiment, upset the hot-favourites for a rare slice of sporting glory.
Iraq captain Younis Mahmoud scored the winner in the 71st minute when he climbed above the defence at the far post and headed a perfectly-weighted corner from Hawar Mohammed into the Saudi net.
When the final whistle sounded, the Iraq players collapsed to the ground in a mixture of shock and an unbridled emotion, kissing the turf and embracing each other after their country’s finest sporting moment.
Saudi Arabia were outplayed by an Iraqi team riding high on a wave of national support.
"I had a lot of belief inside myself that we could do something today," said Iraq’s Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira, who said on Saturday he would resign whatever the result.
"I came here to win from the beginning because I am a very bad loser," he added.
"My players had so much confidence and were so sure. They wanted to win for their country."
The Iraqis created a string of chances, only to be denied by sloppy finishing and extraordinary saves from Saudi goalkeeper Yasser Mosailem.
"Iraq deserved to win," admitted Saudi Arabia’s Brazilian coach Helio Dos Angos.
"They made it very difficult for us to play our football. I feel sorry for the Saudi people but proud of my players and optimistic for the future."
Saudi Arabia had been the best attacking team in the tournament, scoring 12 goals on their way to the final, but could not find a way past the Iraqis, who had the best defence in the competition, conceding just two goals in six matches.
Few people had given Iraq any chance of winning the tournament after a haphazard preparation brought about by the war at home and facing opponents who were appearing in their sixth final in 23 years.
Iraq were forced to train and play their qualifiers in neutral countries and their coach, Brazilian Jorvan Vieira, who said he planned to quit after the match, only had two months to mould a team that included Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish players.
None of the Iraqi players have been untouched by the war and although they have tried to mask their grief, there were constant reminders of the sectarian violence at home.
At least three players in the squad have lost relatives in the past two months and all the players wore black armbands during the final in memory of the 50 people killed by suicide bombers after Wednesday’s semi-final win over South Korea.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was at the Senayan National Stadium for the final, said Iraq’s achievement had inspired millions and was proof of sport’s unique power to unite people in the most desperate circumstances.
source : nst.com.my
