Female Fans Welcome. ...

Iraq beat Iran 7-6 on Penalties
3-3 after extra time

Canberra Stadium

Friday 23 January 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

Same opening gambit for 3 Blogs in a row. Come on, for a football fan from Europe, that's a game featuring two teams I never expected to see. Basically, that game has had everything.

A sending off.
One team being a goal down, then 2-1 & 3-2 up.
An everybody out, benches cleared mêlée. Lengthy injury to one of the keepers.
Bookings galore.
Penalty shoot-out.
The lot.

A great atmosphere. But not really anything I've experienced before. Noisy. Partisan. But not hostile. In a way, this Terrace connoisseur was slightly disappointed it wasn't more mental. The noise was incessant. Bongos we'd call 'em in the West. The Iraqi mob did a lap around the concourse before the off. That stirred things up a bit. But mainly booing & thumbs down.

To me, the Iraqi lot looked gloriously chaotic & improvised - I warmed to 'em. There were far more Iranians. They had a handful of fellas in fluorescent orange orchestrating the chants. Sinister if you ask me. Oy Mate, maybe you were making sure only the regime approved ditties got an airing.

But, great to see thousands of my Iranian Sisters there. They wouldn't be allowed into games "back home" of course.

The Iranians were a bit "sing when you're drawing". Fairly quiet when the Iraqis were winning.

The sending off. What happened there? In real time I've seen it as.....

Iraq keeper comes out to dive & smother ball running away from Iranian forward.

Iranian clatters into Iraqi keeper.

Keeper not happy, gets up & gives the Iranian a "face shove".

Iranian goes down as if poleaxed. Ref is right there.

.... take it all in, he's clattered him, but he's raised his arms & made contact, but then he's play acting. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Yellow Card to the writhing, cheating Iranian get. Ooohhh. Correct & brave that from the Australian ref. Loved the way the A League was reffed from the first kick I saw. This is just a continuation.

Uproar, gestures. Free-kick to the keeper. Ref backtracks towards halfway. Bit of discussion. RED CARD - He's done. I was guessing now. Already booked? Some verbals? No idea.

Hindsight. He had already been booked. 2nd Yellow offence for keeper clattering, not diving & writhing. Needed an Iraqi player to remind the ref he'd had him twice......Maybe.

Two teams bang at it. In front of tribally partisan fans. With the female fans (including Mrs Ball Sup) unwittingly sending out a political message to The Rulers. That was some game.

I had an Aus Beer Tick in the pub. A.B.C. 8 Days Lager. My 322nd Aus beer. A nice, crisp, no nonsense Pilsner style.

78/185