June 08, 2008

AUSTRALIA'S lead atop of their World Cup qualifying group evaporated in the desert heat with Iraq pinching a 1-0 win in their Group 1 match at Rashid Stadium.

Striker Emad Mohammed's 28th minute long-range shot decided the issue and lifted Iraq back into contention to qualify in the top two of the group and advance to the next stage of Asian World Cup qualifying.

The Socceroos' defeat means they are now joined by Qatar, who beat China 1-0 in Tianjin in the other Group 1 match on Sunday, on seven points at the head of a group which has tightened considerably.

Iraq have four points and China three with two matches remaining - all teams still having a chance of progressing.

The 30-metre lofted strike from Emad - which split opinion as to whether it was a shot or a lucky cross - wrong-footed goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and curled into the top corner of the net.

But Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek, whose unbeaten record at the national team's helm vanished, refused to blame his keeper.

"For 94 minutes he did very well and two seconds he is out of position," Verbeek said of Schwarzer. "Mark has saved us several times and for many years.

"I think the player (who scored) does the same thing 100 times, 99 times it goes everywhere but in the goal.

"That's football. Nobody expected that ball, and especially not Mark, to end up in the goal.

"An unlucky moment for him and absolutely no blame from our side towards him."

Despite being charged up to 20 times more than Iraqi fans to attend the match under the Iraq Football Association's controversial two-tiered pricing policy, a hardy band of around 400 Socceroos supporters paid up to cheer their side on.

Verbeek deployed Harry Kewell as a lone striker and played a back three with wing-backs and two defensive midfielders, clearly chasing a draw but hoping to sneak a goal on the counter-attack.

That plan went out the window when Emad struck but Australia's best chance came to equalise went begging in the 59th minute when substitute Brett Holman was put through on goal but shot weakly.

The Socceroos also had a last-gasp chance to grab a point through David Carney, but his shot was cleared off the line by full-back Bassan Abbas in injury-time.

Australia play Qatar in Doha next Saturday - a match that could decide who tops the group and seals a berth in the next qualifying stage.

But the Socceroos will be without midfield enforcer Vince Grella, who was booked for the second time in the group stage and receives an automatic one-match ban which will rule him out of the Qatar match.