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Taste of Olympic success for war-torn Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-08-13 17:36
In its first Olympic competition since its country was shattered by war, Iraq
upset star-studded Portugal 4-2 in a gritty, come-from-behind victory that set
off cheers and celebrations by about 200 fans.
``This victory will be received with happiness by my people, who have
suffered through much,'' said Iraqi coach Adnan Hamad, whose countrymen were
already taking to the streets of Baghdad, lighting up the night sky with streaks
of celebratory gunfire.
The stunning victory Thursday over a team that made it to final of the Euro
2004 tournament brought a rare moment of joy for Iraqis plagued by violence,
chaos and constant power outages.
Across their homeland, they watched the game on television at home and at
cafes. Even people at a Baghdad barbershop took time out of their late-night
haircuts to celebrate the goals.
``It's very important for us to have won this first game,'' player Abdul
Wahab said. ``We hope to give more satisfaction to our people who need
happiness.''
Things did not go well early for the Iraqis, who handed the first goal to
Portugal in the 13th minute when defender Haidar Jabar accidentally kicked the
ball into his own net while trying to clear a pass by Cristiano Ronaldo. Three
minutes later, however, striker Emad Mohammed tied the game after picking up a
rebound from the goalkeeper, Moreira.
Iraq went ahead 2-1 in the 29th minute when Hawar Mulla Mohammed scored on a
soft shot after dribbling past the goalkeeper, but Portugal tied it with a
minute to go in the first half on a goal by Bosingwa.
Younis Mahmoud put Iraq ahead 3-2 in the 56th minute, and Salih Sadir scored
during injury time to seal the victory.
Portugal ended the match with 10 men after Boa Morte was ejected for rough
play. As the Portuguese player left the field, he was showered with plastic
bottles by Iraqi fans.
Portugal is trying to make up for losing to upstart Greece in the final of
Euro 2004, which it hosted.
Iraq was a surprise addition to the Olympic tournament. The nation managed to
cobble together a team amid ongoing conflict at home and efforts to rebuild an
Olympic committee that was previously run by Saddam Hussein's late son, Odai,
who allegedly tortured players when they fell out of favor.
In May, Iraq clinched an Olympic soccer berth just three months after being
reinstated by the International Olympic Committee.
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