Iraqi soccer team wins 1st home game in 7 years

IRBIL, Iraq — Iraq played its first home soccer game since 2002, defeating Palestine 3-0 in a match that was as much about the nation’s struggle for stability as it was about sports.

A sellout crowd of about 25,000 attended the exhibition game at Fransou Hariri Stadium, many waving Iraq and Palestine flags and chanting “Iraq, Iraq.”

Some fans sat on the roofs of nearby buildings to catch a glimpse of the game in the capital of a Kurd-ruled region that was safer than many other parts of the country.

Palestine planned to fly to Baghdad for a second game Monday despite a deadly wave of bombings in the capital Thursday.

“The holding of this match in Irbil gives a clear message to the world that Iraq is recovering and security is prevailing,” Hussein Saeed, head of the Iraqi Football Federation, told the crowd before the game. “We are here today because football is the message of love.”

Iraq last played at home on July 22, 2002, when it beat Syria 2-1 in Baghdad. The country sank into chaos after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 but has made gains in security after years of insurgent attacks and sectarian violence.

On Friday, Iraq opened the scoring in the 20th minute on a goal by Hawar Mulla Mohammed. Ahmed Younis made it 2-0 with a header. Louai Salah capped the scoring in the second half.

Iraqi fan Faris Abdul-Amir, along with his wife and mother, came from the southern city of Karbala to support the national team.

“In the past,” he said, “we were deprived from watching our team playing in front of us.”

Iraq reached the Asian Cup final in 2007 and scored a 1-0 upset of three-time champion Saudi Arabia. The victory set off wild rejoicing in Iraq, which at that time was experiencing some of the worst violence of its long war.

Associated Press Writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.