Ten years on: how Iraq conquered Asia
IT remains one of the biggest upsets in football history, on par with Leicester City’s 2015-16 English Premier League title.
No- one gave the war- torn nation of Iraq a chance when they swept to glory in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, defeating Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia along the way.
On the 10th anniversary of Iraq’s continental success, thencoach Jorvan Vieira says tea drinking, and sleepless nights of checking on his players, were the keys to winning the tournament, co-hosted by Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Iraq stunned the Saudis 1- 0 in the Jakarta final, having beaten South Korea on penalties in the semifinals, and the Vietnamese in the quarterfinals.
In the group stage, they upset Australia and drew with Thailand and Oman.
Their 3- 1 victory over the Socceroos in Bangkok gave a hint of things to come from the Vieira’s charges.
Playing in their first Asian Cup after the move to the AFC from Oceania, the Aussies had come to the tournament on the back of making the Round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup in Germany just a year earlier. Captain Lucas Neill had boldly predicted that his side would go through the tournament undefeated.
The match at the Rajamangala Stadium saw Nashat Akram put the Iraqis ahead with a 22ndminute goal before Mark Viduka equalised for the Socceroos just after half-time. But late strikes by Hawar Mulla Mohammed and Karrar Jassim would give the Lions of Mesopotamia a thoroughly deserved victory.
Iraq would finish top of Group A, and go from strength- to-strength in the knockout stages, showing great character to prevail against the odds.
“The secret was not to sleep. Even early in the morning, I would be looking around the floors to make sure everything was okay,” Brazilian-born Vieira told the-afc.com. “I would go in the players’ room and drink tea with them to give them confidence. This is my way, but with this way I have won many titles.”
Iraq had been given little chance of going far in the tournament after heavy defeats to the Koreans and Uzbekistan in pre-tournament friendlies.
The ongoing war in Iraq had made a proper preparation for his squad almost impossible.
“I knew we could do something at the Asian Cup, and, by luck, I chose the right group of players,” Vieira said. “But every day, some players lost relatives. It was tough to prepare the team in these circumstances, but it was a great experience and gave me a chance to grow too.”
In the final at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Kanro Stadium, a 73rdminute headed goal from striker Younis Mahmoud after Hawar Mulia Mohammed’s corner was the difference between the teams in front of 60,000 fans.
It was Iraq’s first final while Saudi Arabia were three-time winners of the tournament, having beaten defending champions Japan 3- 2 in the semifinals.
Vieira had been in charge of Iraq for only two months before the tournament, and was something of an unknown quantity.
“My memory is that last minutes when victory nearly escaped our hands when (Saudi striker) Malek ( Mouath) headed and the ball went over the bar,” he said.
“I was shouting at everybody and wanted to go on the field, but when the ball went over, I knew we were champions.”
In recent years, Vieira served as head coach of Kuwait ( 201314), before becoming manager of Egyptian side Smouha Sporting Club in 2016.
The former defender, now 63, played for Vasco da Gama, Botafogo and Portuguesa in his native Brazil in the 1970s.
But his achievements with Iraq, even though he was in charge for less than a year, will always define him. He quit immediately after the Asian Cup triumph, only to return a few months later before being sacked after the 2009 Gulf Cup of Nations.
“If you are prepared mentally and physically, you can move ahead, and this was the key in 2007,” he said. “We prepared them mentally and physically because back then it was a complicated time in Iraq as there was a war, and the result you know.”
Jason Dasey is Singaporebased Senior Editor of global football website ESPN FC. Twitter: @ JasonDasey