Hopes high for ecstatic Iraq after surviving Iran showdown
 

By Julian Linden BRISBANE (Reuters) - Hours after Friday's match had ended, thousands of Iraqi fans were still inside the grounds at Canberra Stadium, singing, dancing and waving flags after their team's dramatic win over Iran at the Asian Cup. "There is ** other team at the Asian Cup that can make their country as happy as ours when we win." Sport has always found unique ways of uniting people in the most desperate circumstances but the last time Iraqis had something to really celebrate was eight years ago. In 2007, Iraq defied the sectarian violence in their war-torm homeland to win the Asian Cup with a team moulded together with Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish players. Against their fiercest rivals Iran, they came from behind to tie the scores at 1-1 and force extra time.

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