Eurosport, Iman Mobali scored from an 84th-minute free kick to give Iran a 2-1 victory over Iraq in their opening clash in Group D of the Asian Cup at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium.
Iraq had grabbed the early initiative when skipper Younus Mahmood, who scored the winner when they the title in 2007, opened the scoring after 13 minutes, forcing team mate Emad Mohammed's header over the line.
Iran equalised three minutes before halftime with a well-taken strike from Gholam Rezaei, who beat the Iraqi offside trap, and they took all three points thanks to Mobali's angled free-kick from 25 metres.
The match, between two neighbours who fought a bitter eight-year war in the 1980s, was free of trouble on or off the pitch and was played in a sporting spirit as both coaches had predicted beforehand.
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