2007 AFC Asian Cup final
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.
Gelora Bung Karno Stadium hosted the final | |||||||
| Event | 2007 AFC Asian Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 29 July 2007 | ||||||
| Venue | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Nashat Akram (Iraq) | ||||||
| Referee | Mark Shield (Australia) | ||||||
| Attendance | 60,000 | ||||||
| Weather | Clear 30 °C (86 °F) 45% humidity | ||||||
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.
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. 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.