Olympics
Surprising Iraqi men advance to soccer semifinals

By Seattle Times news services

CHRIS MCGRATH / GETTY IMAGES Sabri Nour of Iraq makes a save during yesterday's game against Australia.

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IRAKLION — Iraqi coach Adnan Hamad couldn't complete more than a few sentences without his cellphone ringing. His team is one step away from an improbable trip to the medal podium, and he was happy to spread the word to a country in dire need of good news.

"We have spoken to our families already about this victory," Hamad said after yesterday's 1-0 quarterfinal win over Australia. "They're all very happy. Everybody is out in the streets, ecstatic."

The victory put the war-torn nation in position to compete for only the second Olympic medal in its history. Iraq will play Paraguay in the semifinals in Thessaloniki on Tuesday.

In Baghdad, a stream of red tracer bullets cut through the night sky amid a hail of celebratory gunfire. Fans who had watched the game in cafes and hotels spilled out and drove through the streets with national flags fluttering from their cars and screaming "God is great."

Even a loss in the semis would put the Iraqis in the bronze-medal game, where they could become the first athletes from their country to win a medal since Abdul Wahid Aziz's weightlifting bronze in Rome in 1960.

"People where I live (in Iraq) have suffered so much," said Qatar-based midfielder Emad Mohammed, who scored the winner from 12 yards out with a spectacular bicycle kick in the 64th minute. "It's very confusing for us and hard to keep our minds on the game. But we hope we can give a little happiness to our country," he said.

The Iraqis grew in stature after Mohammed's goal and comfortably held out to reach the last four — an almost fairytale achievement for a team that shares a training pitch with grazing sheep in Baghdad.

Mohammed was the only scorer, but his goal was more than enough to satisfy more than 1,000 chanting, flag-waving Iraqi supporters at Pankrito Stadium.

The goal came on a corner kick. Mahdi Karim sacrificed his body to head the ball to Mohammed, who flipped himself upside down to put his shot inside the right post. Karim was injured on the play and lay on the field for a couple of minutes, but he returned to the game.
 
The fact that the Iraqis even qualified for the Athens Games was a remarkable achievement. They clinched a berth in May, just three months after the country was reinstated by the International Olympic Committee following a nine-month absence. The Iraqi Olympic Committee was previously run by Saddam Hussein's son, Odai, who tortured players when they fell out of favor.

Australia put the ball in the net in the 48th minute when Anthony Danze knocked in a rebound after two excellent saves by goalkeeper Nour Sabri, but the play was ruled offsides.

Two more Iraqi victories would mean a gold medal and a promised $25,000 reward for each player from the Iraqi Olympic Committee.

Meanwhile, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the world soccer body will offer more help to the Iraqi soccer program, which has been one of the unexpected success stories of the Games.

Speaking before Iraq's win, Blatter said FIFA will help build a new training center for the Iraqi national team.

"Iraq will receive special help from FIFA," Blatter said. "They need it. They merit it."