World Cup Corner

Congratulations to Iraq for winning the 2007 Asian Cup. This great fairy tale was completed when the Iraqis sneaked a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

With all the war issues and social problems currently besetting Iraq, the new Asian champions have brought a rare glimpse of joy and hope to the country.

‘This is not just about football… this is more important than that,’ Iraq’s Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira said.

‘This has brought great happiness to a whole country. This is not about a team, this is about human beings.’

Younis Mahmoud, the Iraqi captain, scored the decisive goal in the 71st minute when he headed a perfectly-weighted corner into the net at the far post.

Truth be told, the Iraqis should and could have won by a bigger margin if they had held their nerve and converted one of their many opportunities. Sloppy finishing and an amazing performance from the Saudi goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem kept the scoreline to a solitary goal.

Today’s game was played between two sides of opposite mentalities. The Saudis, scoring 12 goals on route to the final, had been considered the best attacking team in the tournament. Whereas the Iraqis, understandably given their limited preparation and resources, play a very defensive game, conceding only two goals in six.

‘Iraq deserved to win today,’ Saudi coach Helio Cesar dos Anjos said. ‘They were very motivated and we knew the whole world was supporting this team.’

The Iraqis were considered no-hopers at the start of the tournament A combination of sloppy preparations meant that they forced to train and play qualifiers in neutral countries. In fact, Viera only had two months to build a team that included Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish players. Facing a side that had featured in six out of the last seven Asian Cups was a daunting prospect to say the least.

‘I have learnt a lot from this last two months,’ Vieira said. ‘We all know the problems in Iraq but I have learnt that they are a fantastic people. They have an extraordinary power.’

With the continued sectarian violence at home, many of the Iraqi players were distracted and focusing on just the tournament proved to be very difficult indeed. At least three players have lost relatives in the past two months.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Iraq’s achievement had inspired millions and was proof of football’s unique power to unite people in the most desperate of circumstances.