The Iraq squad has succeeded in securing a place in the 2007 Asian Football Championship (AFC) Cup finals when they convincingly defeated Singapore 4-2 in a thrilling qualifier, held at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, in Al Ain on Wednesday night.
Both teams started off on a confident note and probed each other’s defences thoroughly before attacking. Singapore was the first to taste success with a confident goal in the 8th minute by striker Egmar Gonsalves. The Iraqis swung back in a determined effort but could only manage to net their first goal in the 35th minute with help from star player Younis Khallaf.
With both teams tied at one goal each, the second half proved to be the most dramatic session with the Iraqi team putting pressure on the Singapore squad. Mahdi Kareem scored the second goal for Iraq in the 60th minute with a real beauty but Khairul Amri of Singapore managed to level the score quickly in the 61st minute.
Iraq, needing to secure their place in the AFC cup finals, then pulled their act together to attack their rivals in a more determined fashion. Khallaf again proved to be a nightmare for Singapore when he succeeded in getting another goal for his team in the 68th minute. Another striker Hawar Tahir firmly reinforced Iraq’s position in the match by following up with another goal towards the end of the match.
By beating Singapore, Iraq has not only advanced to the finals of the AFC Cup, taking place in South East Asia in July 2007, but has also avenged its previous 2-0 defeat to Singapore when they met last at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium. The AFC Cup is being co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Younis Khallaf, who scored two goals for Iraq, was adjudged as the Man of the Match. The Iraqi squad is sponsored by global digital leader LG Electronics.
K. W. Kim, President of LG Electronics, Middle East and Africa, said that the Iraqi team has shown consistent performance in recent sporting encounters such as the AFC Cup qualifiers and the LG Peace Cup, held last week in Jordan. “The Iraqi team has shown spectacular form in recent months and we hope that they will continue to be impressive in the AFC matches next year,” he added.
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