2007 AFC Asian Cup final

2007 AFC Asian Cup final BungKarno-indonoob.JPG 250 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium hosted the final 2007 AFC Asian Cup Iraq IRQ 2004 30px 1 Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 30px 0 29 July 2007 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Jakarta Nashat Akram (Iraq) Mark Shield (Australia) 60,000 Clear30 °C °F45% humidity 2004 2011 The 2007 AFC Asian Cup final was a football match that took place on 29 July 2007 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, to determine the 2007 AFC Asian Cup champion. Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 1–0 with a Younis Mahmoud header from Hawar Mulla Mohammed's corner in the 73rd minute sealing the victory.Wang Chris Iraq in historic Asian Cup win https://www.aljazeera.com/focus/2007afcasiancup/2007/07/2008525184927362150.html Aljazeera 21 August 2013AFC Asian Cup category http://www.soccerfiesta.net/category/tournaments-cups/afc-asian-cup/ SOCCERFIESTA.NET 21 August 2013 https://archive.today/20130821103132/http://www.soccerfiesta.net/category/tournaments-cups/afc-asian-cup/ 21 August 2013 deadLampen Jerry Iraq ride wave of support to lift Asian Cup 29 July 2007 http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-asia-idUKSP26426720070729 https://web.archive.org/web/20160125060803/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-asia-idUKSP26426720070729 dead 25 January 2016 Reuters 13 September 2014 This was Iraq's first appearance in the final of an Asian Cup, while Saudi Arabia had appeared in five of the previous six Asian Cup finals, winning three of them (1984, 1988 and 1996). This final was only the second all-Arab final in the tournament's history, after 1996. Iraq had reached the final against expectations, with the team being forced to train outside of their war-torn country and suffering from transport problems and a lack of facilities. After eliminating South Korea in the semi-finals, Iraq almost pulled out of the final when two bomb attacks targeted celebrating fans and killed at least 50 people, but they decided to play on after a grieving mother said she would not bury her deceased son unless the team won the title.Montague James Forget Kaka, my player of the year is Younis Mahmoud https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/dec/18/newsstory.sport13 The Guardian 18 December 2007 13 September 2014 The result saw thousands of Iraqis spilling onto the streets to celebrate the victory, and the win helped to unite the people of the nation. Iraq's achievement is seen as one of international football's greatest underdog stories and one of the sport's greatest fairytale victories. https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/6920434.stm Iraq 1-0 Saudi Arabia 29 July 2007 BBC Sport 15 October 2014 http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-asia-idUKSP26426720070729 https://web.archive.org/web/20160125060803/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-asia-idUKSP26426720070729 dead 25 January 2016 Iraq ride wave of support to lift Asian Cup 29 July 2007 Reuters 15 October 2014 https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/29/AR2007072900269.html Jubilant Iraqis Savor Their Soccer Triumph 29 July 2007 Washington Post 15 October 2014 The win saw Iraq qualify for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. The tournament's closing ceremony was held immediately prior to kickoff. Background The final was played between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Iraq, coached by Brazilian Jorvan Vieira, qualified for the final after topping their group where they earned an emphatic 3–1 win against tournament favourites Australia. A 2–0 quarter-final win over co-hosts Vietnam followed before they defeated South Korea in a penalty shootout in the semi-final. Saudi Arabia, also led by a Brazilian coach (Hélio dos Anjos), topped Group D before 2–1 and 3–2 wins over Uzbekistan and Japan respectively in the quarter-final and semi-final stages saw them into the final. For Iraq, victory would bring its first ever Asian Cup title, whereas Saudi Arabia were playing for their fourth title. After their semi-final victory, two bomb attacks deliberately targeted celebrating Iraqi fans in Baghdad and killed at least 50 people.Iraq bombs strike football fans https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6916230.stm BBC 25 July 2007 The Iraq team held a meeting to discuss whether they should pull out of the final to avoid more potential bloodshed, but they decided to play on after a grieving mother appeared on television and said she would not bury her deceased son unless the team returned home as champions.How Iraq's unlikely 2007 Asian Cup victory united a troubled nation https://footyanalyst.com/how-iraqs-unlikely-2007-asian-cup-victory-united-a-troubled-nation/ Footy Analyst Williams Aidan 19 January 2019 Before the game, the record between the two sides was 12 wins for Iraq, 7 wins for Saudi Arabia and 9 draws. Iraq's most recent victories had come in the form of 5–1 and 2–0 victories at the 2005 West Asian Games and a 2–1 win at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup, meanwhile Saudi Arabia defeated Iraq 1–0 in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup and had also won the most recent match between the teams with a controversial 1–0 win in the 18th Arabian Gulf Cup earlier in 2007.Mubarak Hassanin The Game That Shook A Nation: 2007 Gulf Cup https://iraqsport.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/the-game-that-shook-a-nation-2007-gulf-cup/ IraqSport 27 June 2016 3 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200903205620/https://iraqsport.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/the-game-that-shook-a-nation-2007-gulf-cup/ dead Returning players Among the players in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup squads, the following played in the 2004 meeting which Iraq won 2–1: Previous appearance of players from the teams2004 Iraq: Ahmad Ali Jaber, Bassim Abbas, Haidar Abdul-Amir, Hawar Mulla Mohammed, Mahdi Karim, Nashat Akram (goalscorer), Qusay Munir, Haidar Abdul-Razzaq and Younis Mahmoud (substitute, goalscorer); Saudi Arabia: Redha Tukar, Saud Kariri and Yasser Al-Qahtani Route to the final IraqRoundSaudi ArabiaOpponentResultGroup stageOpponentResultTHA1–1Match 1KOR 19971–1AUS3–1Match 2IDN2–1OMN0–0Match 3BHR4–0Group A winner Team Pld Played W Won D Drawn L Lost GF Goals for GA Goals against GD Goal difference Pts PointsIraq 2004312042+25Australia311164+24Thailand311135−24Oman302113−22Final standingsGroup D winner Team Pld Played W Won D Drawn L Lost GF Goals for GA Goals against GD Goal difference Pts PointsKSA321072+57KOR 199731113304IDN310234−13BHR310237−43OpponentResultKnockout stageOpponentResultVIE2–0Quarter-finalsUZB2–1KOR 19970–0 (aet) (4–3 pen.)Semi-finalsJPN3–2 AFC Asian Cup 2007 http://iraqi-football.com/2007-asian-cup https://web.archive.org/web/20170510100636/http://www.iraqi-football.com/2007-asian-cup usurped 10 May 2017 Iraq National Football Team 21 August 2013 Match ball The match ball for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup Final, announced on 15 May 2007, was Nike's Mercurial Veloci.Mercurial Veloci is official match ball of Asian Cup 2007 http://football-balls.com/ball-details/mercurial-veloci-official-match-ball-of-asian-cup-2007-in-indonesia-malaysia-thailand-and-vietnam Football-Balls 27 June 2016 The ball features four blue streaks with gold coloured trim with each host city's name inscribed, as well as the logo of the AFC Asian Cup. Match officials Mark Shield, from Australia, was named as the referee of the final, together with Turkmen Begench Allaberdiyev and Maldivian Mohamed Saeed as the assistant referees, and Kuwaiti Saad Kamil Al-Fadhli as fourth official. Earlier in the 2007 Asian Cup, Shield took charge of the South Korea–Saudi Arabia and Indonesia–South Korea matches in the group stage. He had previously taken charge of the second leg of the 2006 AFC Champions League Final as well as matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 2004 AFC Asian Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Match Summary Both teams named unchanged starting line-ups from their semi-finals. Iraq dominated the first half of the match, and had chances to score through Qusay Munir and Younis Mahmoud before Karrar Jassim's shot was saved after a mazing run through the Saudi defence. Saudi Arabia's first significant chance was a long-range shot from Taisir Al-Jassim in the second half which was saved by Noor Sabri. The Saudis survived a scare when Younis Mahmoud and Nashat Akram both had close-range efforts saved in quick succession by Yasser Al Mosailem. Saudi Arabia struggled to deal with Nashat Akram's creativity in midfield as he made a number of chances for Iraq. The deadlock was broken on 73 minutes when Hawar Mulla Mohammed's corner sailed over Al Mosailem and was met with a header from Younis Mahmoud. After taking the lead, Iraq continued to attack and almost doubled their advantage when Mahmoud was played through on goal by Akram, but the striker's effort was saved by Al Mosailem. Iraq were left holding their breath in injury time when Saudi Arabia striker Malek Mouath's header bounced just over the crossbar, but the final whistle blew moments later to signify that the Lions of Mesopotamia had won the Asian Cup for the first time.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/6920434.stm Iraq 1-0 Saudi Arabia 29 July 2007 BBC 30 December 2014 After the match, Nashat Akram was named the Most Valuable Player of the match, with Younis Mahmoud receiving the award for Most Valuable Player of the tournament and sharing the top scorer award with Yasser Al-Qahtani and Naohiro Takahara.http://younismahmoud.com/wp/en/profile/ Younis Mahmoud Profile 30 December 2014 YounisMahmoud.com 30 December 2014 23 April 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230423004038/http://younismahmoud.com/wp/en/profile/ dead The Iraqi team, a mixture of Sunni, Shia and Kurdish players, received international acclaim as they helped unite the people of a fractured, war-torn nation in celebration. Iraq's manager Jorvan Vieira said he was proud of how the players won the cup in spite of their limited preparation but also announced that he was stepping down as Iraq manager after the victory.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/6920434.stm Iraq 1-0 Saudi Arabia 29 July 2007 Details 29 July 2007 19:35 IRQ 2004 1–0 Report Saudi Arabia Mahmoud 73 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta 60,000 Mark Shield (Australia) _irq06h _irq06h _irq06h _irq06h _irq06h FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF Iraq _ksa06a1 _ksa06a1 _ksa06a1 _ksa06h1 _puma_2006_white 208060 208060 208060 FFFFFF 208060 Saudi Arabia GK 22Noor SabriRB 14Haidar Abdul-AmirCB 2 Jassim GhulamCB 15Ali Rehema 75LB 3 Bassim Abbas 89DM 24Qusay Munir 9RM 18Mahdi Karim 90CM 5 Nashat AkramCM 13Karrar Jassim 24 83LM 11Hawar Mulla MohammedCF 10Younis Mahmoud (c) 38Substitutions:FW 16Ahmad Mnajed 83FW 7 Ali Abbas 89MF 8 Ahmad Abid Ali 90Manager:BRA Jorvan Vieira GK 1 Yasser Al-MosailemRB 14Saud Kariri 15CB 3 Osama HawsawiCB 19Waleed Jahdali 38LB 16Khaled AzizDM 7 Kamel Al-MousaRM 15Ahmed Al-Bahri 84CM 17Taisir Al-Jassim 76LM 18Abdulrahman Al-Qahtani 46CF 9 Malek MouathCF 20Yasser Al-Qahtani (c)Substitutions:MF 30Ahmed Al-Mousa 46MF 28Abdoh Otaif 76FW 11Saad Al-Harthi 84Manager:Brazil Hélio dos Anjos Man of the Match: Nashat Akram (Iraq) Assistant referees: Begench Allaberdiyev (Turkmenistan) Mohamed Saeed (Maldives) Fourth official: Saad Kamil Al-Fadhli (Kuwait) Statistics OverallIraqSaudi ArabiaGoals scored10Total shots145Ball possession52%48%Yellow cards42Red cards00 Reaction and impact The Iraqi team, a mixture of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds, received worldwide acclaim for becoming continental champions from a background of bloodshed and violence and helping to unite a fractured nation.http://iraqfc.webs.com/best-moments-of-21st-century IraqFC - Best Moments of 21st Century 5 July 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160815002521/http://iraqfc.webs.com/best-moments-of-21st-century 15 August 2016 dead Football commentator Simon Hill described it as "unbelievable" and one of football's greatest fairytale victories, noting that the team had been without a coach until two months before the tournament and had experienced troubles with travel and training.Asian Cup 2007 Final - Full Match Waleed Tabra, media officer for the national team, said that he couldn't find the words to describe the joy brought on by the win, describing it as the "biggest win the nation has ever had" and noting that the victory allowed people who were living in hardship to celebrate "far away from politics".Iraq in historic Asian Cup win Iraq midfielder Nashat Akram, who expressed after the game that there is "only one Iraqi people" and that the win was for them, described the poor conditions and preparations that the Iraqi team faced before the tournament, revealing that he had already booked tickets home in anticipation that Iraq would be eliminated in the group stage.Nashat Akram interview with IraqFootball British football journalist James Montague has since described it as the best achievement in international football history due to the difficult conditions experienced by the players and the significance of the victory for the country.James Montague says Iraq Asian Cup win is best international achievement See also Iraq–Saudi Arabia football rivalry Sports and politics 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, which Japan won despite the disastrous Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami References External links Iraqi Football Website Iraq at the 2007 Asian Cup 10 Best Moments in Iraqi Football History of Iraq National Team June 2017 1 AFC Asian Cup final 2007 2007 2007 Category:July 2007 sports events in Asia Category:2000s in Jakarta Category:Politics and sports Category:Iraq–Saudi Arabia relations Category:Impacts of the Iraq War Category:2007–08 in Indonesian football Category:International association football competitions hosted by Indonesia Category:Sports competitions in Jakarta Category:Football in Jakarta