Captain Younus Mahmood said Iraq could move forward with confidence after emerging star Ali Adnan’s double earned a 3-1 upset of defending Asian Games champions Japan.
Adnan, the Asian young footballer of the year, scored twice in the second half to break a 1-1 deadlock at half-time and place Iraq top of Group D.
Japan’s harassed defence failed to catch the 20-year-old defender as he met a cross early in the second half and calmly put the ball past goalkeeper Ayumi Niekawa. Niekawa was also unable to stop Adnan’s 71st-minute free kick from outside the penalty area that sealed a deserved victory.
The defeat should not stop Japan qualifying for the second round. The 2010 champions will face Nepal in their final group game on Sunday.
“Of course for the national team of Iraq I think this game against Japan is very important,” said Mahmood.
“I think this is good for the young players for them to win against Japan so in the future they won’t be afraid when they meet a strong team like Japan.”
South Korea, who dearly want to take the title on home territory, added a second win in Group A, 1-0 over Saudi Arabia with Kim Seung-Dae scoring the only goal in Ansang. Malaysia beat Laos 4-0 earlier.
In Group C, Palestine beat Tajikistan 2-1, just hours after one of the team’s players was accused of groping a woman worker in the athletes’ village. Group favourites Oman managed only a 3-3 draw with Singapore, having squandered a 3-1 lead, in the group’s other game in Hwaseong.
