Iraqi football has always been particularly tough at the Asian Cup, and in the previous six tournaments, they have all reached the top 8. In 2007, the Eunices staged a dark horse miracle that is difficult to replicate, and four years ago in Australia, this tenacious team could even force the championship-winning Iran into a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals, and finally reached the eighth round.
In 2007, the Iraqi team staged a dark horse miracle, and it is difficult to replicate the perfect crown.
Since 2004, the only opponents who can eliminate iraqis in the Asian Cup are the host China, the cross-dimensional Australia and the three-armed South Korea. In other words, if you want to make Iraqis subservient in this intercontinental event, you have to be skilled or have top strength.
Coming to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Iraqi football is still the same – although their average age is only 24.8 years old, which is only higher than the 24.2-year-old Vietnamese team.
On January 8, at the Zeid Sports City Stadium, even though it was given to Oolong, twice behind, and Vietnamese fans shouted tsunami, it was the Iraqis who laughed to the end. In the 90th minute, Ali Adnan's left-footed free-kick was brilliant and straight into the net, which was also the first win in the regular stoppage time since the opening of the Asian Cup. With this, the last Iraqi team opened the Asian Cup with a red opening for the second consecutive time.
In the 90th minute, Ali Adnan's left-footed free-kick was brilliant and went straight into the net.
Iraq coach Srechko Katanic thanks three disciples to the triumph of this goalscoring battle: Muhanad Ali, born on 20 June 2000, who plays for Tehran's independent Humam Tariq, and 25-year-old European international Ali Adnan. They teamed up to achieve a big comeback for Iraq with three goals in the crucial period.
"Post-00s" player Ali scored.
As a rare "post-00s" player in this Asian Cup, Muhanaard Ali, who has scored 7 goals in 12 games for the national team, has made the goal record of the Asian Cup appear "millennials" for the first time. Muhana alla, who is 183 cm tall and has a balanced foot, excellent technology and tandem ability, currently plays for the domestic club El Soda Sports. Last season, he scored 17 goals in 30 appearances in the Iraqi Pro League, helping the team to fourth place in the table. With his club and national titles, he briefly had a scandal with Portugal's Santa Clara, Turkey's Besiktas and Goztabi.
As a rare "post-00s" player in this Asian Cup, Muhanard Ali made the Asian Cup scoring record appear "millennials" for the first time.
Muhanard Ali's rise to fame is not unfounded, as early as the 2013 Asian Youth Games and the 2014 Asian U14 Championships, he was named the top scorer and debuted. Including the 2015 West Asia U16 Championship, he also topped the top scorers list and helped Iraq win the championship. However, along with the rising prestige of the ship, doubts about the age of Muhanad Ali were also very loud. According to Fox Sports, there are rumors that since 2014, Muhanad Ali has been using his brother's name and passport as proof of participation, which has also directly reduced his age by 3 years. After the subsequent ban storm and the registration of the pending case, Muhanad Ali, who was protected by the Football Association, has been able to participate in the national brand competition unimpeded, and the investigation in Iraq has been declared over.
As early as the 2013 Asian Youth Games and the 2014 Asian U14 Championships, Muhanaard Ali was named the top scorer and made his debut
Humam Tariq, who is 4 years older than Muhanath Ali, actually became popular in 2014, except that his turf is the virtual world of otaku. In "Football Manager 2014", the potential index soared to the top Tariq at that time, and was favored by many veteran players. In the reinforcement plan of many Chinese Super League fans, this Iraqi teenager is a "must buy" existence. Once known as the "Iraq Messi", he has played in the U20 World Cup, Asian Games, Asian Cup and Rio Olympic Games, and his club career has been spent mainly in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
In "Football Manager", the Iraqi teenager was once the existence of "open file must buy".
Although the talent that Football Manager pinned on was not fully realized, Humam Tariq's football career was not arduous. Back five years ago, when he played for Ahli, at the age of 16, he received a weekly salary of nearly $10,000, a luxury house in Dubai, a private car, and a free commute from Bagh to Dubai (including his family). Of course, as the grandson of the founder of a well-known candy company in Iraq, Humam Tariq will not be carried away, and he will eventually leave there because of football at a young age.
Humam Tariq, who currently plays for Tehran's independence, was once known as the "Iraq Messi".
As a hero of Iraq's opening, Adnan, who joined Udinese in the summer of 2015, can be described as one of the most successful European players in Iraq. From Turkey to Italy, from Rize Sport to Atlanta, he has been on a one-year loan contract for five years in Europe. However, the "Asian Bell" who eats all the left side has only a few opportunities to appear in Atlanta, and the bloody pride of returning to China to fight ISIS can only wait on the bench.
Adnan is currently one of Iraq's most successful European players.
On the night of the reversal of the killing of Vietnam, hundreds of Iraqi fans cheered outside a mall in Baghdad's Mansour district, defended by 40 security policemen. For weather-beaten Iraqis, being able to watch a ball on an outdoor screen is already a rare experience. Luckily, they also have such a team that never gives up.