Iran v Iraq: rivals ready for Asian Cup 2015 quarter-final showdown
• Iraq aiming to repeat their Asian Cup victory in 2007• Iran have not been crowned continental champions since 1976Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch. The political...
View ArticleIraq beat Iran on penalties to settle classic Asian Cup encounter
Iran 3-3 Iraq (aet - Iraq win 7-6 on penalties)Iraq to meet South Korea in semi-finalIraq beat Iran 7-6 on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Cup after the two Middle Eastern rivals played...
View ArticleIran fail in bid to overturn Asian Cup defeat to Iraq
Iran protest Iraq used an ‘ineligible’ player in their quarter-finalAFC dismisses claim as unfounded; Iraq focused on semiIraq have been cleared to take their place in Monday’s Asian Cup quarter-final...
View ArticleAsian Cup semi-final: South Korea v Iraq – as it happened
South Korea 2-0 IraqGoals to Lee Jeong-hyeop and Kim Young-gwon send Korea to the finalSouth Korea get us underway in the rain and a cacophony coming from the stands. The officials, by the way, are...
View ArticleSouth Korea reach Asian Cup final with victory over Iraq
South Korea 2 (Lee Jeong-hyeop 20’, Kim Young-gwon 50’) Iraq 0Paul Connolly’s minute-by-minute reportKorea Republic are now just 90 minutes away from breaking their 55-year Asian Cup drought with their...
View ArticleUnited Arab Emirates beat Iraq to finish third at Asian Cup
Iraq 2-3 United Arab EmiratesAhmed Khalil scores two and Ali Mabkhout adds anotherThe United Arab Emirates overcame 10-man Iraq 3-2 in an action-packed Asian Cup third-placed playoff to complete an...
View Article'It was always my No1 choice': Justin Meram, the US-born Christian playing...
Justin Meram was written off as too small, but now he’s starring for a Columbus Crew side on the up – and he’s also turning out for his parents’ home countryAs Justin Meram tells it, he plays the game...
View ArticleNeymar and Brazil draw blank in Rio 2016 opener with South Africa
• Gabriel Jésus hits the post but host nation are held• Germany come back twice to draw 2-2 with MexicoBrazil were held to a goalless draw by 10-man South Africa on the opening day of the men’s Olympic...
View ArticleBrazil jeered by home support after Olympic stalemate with Iraq
• Iraq applauded as Neymar fails to impress in 0-0 draw• Brazil fans chant about women’s star Marta insteadBrazil, who have never won the Olympic gold medal in men’s football, failed to win for the...
View ArticleAustralia beat Iraq in World Cup 2018 qualifying – as it happened
Australia 2-0 Iraq at nib Stadium in PerthMassimo Luongo and Tomi Juric goals give Socceroos victoryMartin Turnbull’s confident, emailing in: “A regulation two or three goal win would be great....
View ArticleSocceroos off to winning start with victory over Iraq in World Cup qualifier
Australia beat Iraq 2-0 at nib Stadium in PerthFinal phase of qualification begins with victory for SocceroosThe Socceroos are off and running on the road to Russia, overcoming a dogged Iraq with a 2-0...
View ArticleSocceroos’ win over Iraq instructive both of progress and ongoing shortcomings
Australia’s latest World Cup campaign has started well, but Ange Postecoglou’s expectations require the team to lift further if they’re to beat Asia’s very bestLike Odysseus and his stout companions,...
View ArticleThe Dozen: the best photos from this week's World Cup qualifiers
Player tussles, reactions and illuminated fans – the best images from around the globe as 209 teams continue on the road to Russia 2018Continue reading...
View ArticleIraq v Australia: World Cup 2018 qualifying – as it happened
Australia were denied victory by Ahmed Yasin’s late equaliser, which rewarded a determined second-half showing by Iraq8 min Sainsbury tries a diagonal from deep but it triggers a counter from Iraq. A...
View ArticleAustralia denied by Iraq’s Ahmed Yasin in fourth consecutive draw
Iraq 1-1 AustraliaYasin 76 Leckie 39The Socceroos escaped with a nerve-wracking draw against Iraq amid dreadful conditions in Tehran to leave their World Cup qualification hopes in the balance.Mathew...
View ArticleKylian Mbappé rescues France against Iceland while Portugal see off Poland
• France score twice in last four minutes to draw 2-2 at home• Aleksandar Mitrovic double helps Serbia win in MontenegroFrance avoided an embarrassing defeat by Iceland with two goals in the last five...
View ArticleThe forgotten story of … the striker saved by football in Saddam’s Iraq
Sahib Abbas was locked up, tortured and forced to cope with the state-organised murder of his brother and four friends but thrived in remarkable circumstancesJust as he had done after every game, Sahib...
View Article'I’ve had setbacks in my life': Ali Abbas tries to find relaxation in...
The A-League cult hero opens up on his secret satellite dish, post-Asian Cup threats, when Iraq tried to recruit Graham Arnold and his own comeback hopesAli Abbas was 17 when he told Saddam Hussein’s...
View ArticleSocceroos drawn with Japan, Saudi Arabia in World Cup qualifiers
Group A: Iran, South Korea, UAE, Iraq, Syria, LebanonGroup B: Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Oman, VietnamFor the fourth straight World Cup qualifying campaign, the Socceroos have been pitted...
View ArticleThree forgotten men and the birth of Iraq’s national football team | Hassanin...
Tale of how sons of a former British army officer and Orthodox priest helped to shape the side is told in this book extractIn 2001, exactly 50 years after the Iraqi national team was formed, I made a...
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