igloo Posted August 12 Report Share Posted August 12 Iraq shocks Portugal 4-2 in preliminary matchIraqis recover from early own goal in first Olympic match since '88The Associated PressUpdated: 4:49 p.m. ET Aug. 12, 2004PATRAS, Greece - In its first Olympic competition since its country was shattered by war, Iraq upset Portugal 4-2 on Thursday in a gritty, come-from-behind victory as about 200 chanting fans cheered and jumped wildly.advertisementPortugal went ahead at the 12th minute when Iraqi defender Habar Haidar accidentally kicked the ball into his own net as he tried to clear a pass by Cristiano Ronaldo. Three minutes later, however, Mohammed Emad tied it after picking up a rebound from the goalkeeper, Moreira.Iraq went ahead 2-1 in the 28th minute when Mohammed Hawar 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.Mahmoud Younis put Iraq ahead 3-2 in the 50th minute, and Sadit Salih scored during injury time to seal the victory.The Iraq fans, mostly students who traveled to Pampeloponnisiako Stadium from various Greek cities, chanted and jumped in unison. Some waved Iraqi flags and signs in Arabic as unarmed police watched.At the end of the match, the jubilant Iraqi players ran across the field holding their raised hands above their heads.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 dozens of plastic bottles by Iraqi fans.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 ordered the torture of players who fell out of favor.In May, Iraq clinched an Olympic soccer berth just three months after being reinstated by the International Olympic Committee. Two months later, the team’s German coach, Bernd Stange, resigned, claiming authorities advised him to leave for his safety.He was replaced by his assistant, Adnan Hamad, who coached Iraq’s national soccer team to victory in the West Asian Championship in 2002 and played on the national team during the early 1980s.In July, Iraq reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup that included a 2-1 win over regional soccer power Saudi Arabia.Iraq leads the Group D with three points, while Costa Rica and Morocco have one after playing to a scoreless tie Thursday.© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fresinha12 Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 hey mursa, u hear that...first the greeks and now the iraqis...man portugal sucks.....lol!!Iraq shocks Portugal 4-2 in preliminary matchIraqis recover from early own goal in first Olympic match since '88The Associated PressUpdated: 4:49 p.m. ET Aug. 12, 2004PATRAS, Greece - In its first Olympic competition since its country was shattered by war, Iraq upset Portugal 4-2 on Thursday in a gritty, come-from-behind victory as about 200 chanting fans cheered and jumped wildly.advertisementPortugal went ahead at the 12th minute when Iraqi defender Habar Haidar accidentally kicked the ball into his own net as he tried to clear a pass by Cristiano Ronaldo. Three minutes later, however, Mohammed Emad tied it after picking up a rebound from the goalkeeper, Moreira.Iraq went ahead 2-1 in the 28th minute when Mohammed Hawar 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.Mahmoud Younis put Iraq ahead 3-2 in the 50th minute, and Sadit Salih scored during injury time to seal the victory.The Iraq fans, mostly students who traveled to Pampeloponnisiako Stadium from various Greek cities, chanted and jumped in unison. Some waved Iraqi flags and signs in Arabic as unarmed police watched.At the end of the match, the jubilant Iraqi players ran across the field holding their raised hands above their heads.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 dozens of plastic bottles by Iraqi fans.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 ordered the torture of players who fell out of favor.In May, Iraq clinched an Olympic soccer berth just three months after being reinstated by the International Olympic Committee. Two months later, the team’s German coach, Bernd Stange, resigned, claiming authorities advised him to leave for his safety.He was replaced by his assistant, Adnan Hamad, who coached Iraq’s national soccer team to victory in the West Asian Championship in 2002 and played on the national team during the early 1980s.In July, Iraq reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup that included a 2-1 win over regional soccer power Saudi Arabia.Iraq leads the Group D with three points, while Costa Rica and Morocco have one after playing to a scoreless tie Thursday.© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mursa Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 hey mursa, u hear that...first the greeks and now the iraqis...man portugal sucks.....lol!!.. ....where are you from ? since your in the mood of throwing stones. ps...i hope your not a Mini-Igloo in training . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koky Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 .. ....where are you from ? since your in the mood of throwing stones. ps...i hope your not a Mini-Igloo in training . :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koky Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 hey mursa, u hear that...first the greeks and now the iraqis...man portugal sucks.....lol!! :rofl: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyface Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 ouch....... dont worry Mursa you can always go for Brazil,right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmatas2277 Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 bwahahahahaha....Iraq? damn Mursa....bwahahahahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mursa Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 ...it's just the first game , you guys can't contain the Hate ,dawm !!!! . we still have 2 more to go and still have a chance to qualify . relaxxx . ps...yea it is pathetic to lose to iraq ....thats life, thats soccer , life goes on . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mursa Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 ouch....... dont worry Mursa you can always go for Brazil,right? Na bro , im Portugal all the way in the competitions it plays in .......This year has been good to Portugal & it's teams in general ( FC PORTO uefa champions league & 2nd place in EURO 2004 ) , so im content either way . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fresinha12 Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 but u do realize loosing to iraq....that is funny......it's just the first game , you guys can't contain the Hate ,dawm !!!! . we still have 2 more to go and still have a chance to qualify . relaxxx . ps...yea it is pathetic to lose to iraq ....thats life, thats soccer , life goes on . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mursa Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 but u do realize loosing to iraq....that is funny...this you see the game ? ...iraq played their hearts out & portugal played awful ...add to it unfair red card to portugal . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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