Featured Image Credit: X/@IraqNT_EN
Topics: Football
Jack Kenmare
Iraq striker Aymen Hussein received a red card for 'over-celebrating' a goal in their Asian Cup round of 16 clash against Jordan – and it turned out to be a crucial moment in the match.
The 27-year-old forward, who plays his club football for Iraqi Premier League side Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, gave Jesus Casas' side a 2-1 lead in the 76th minute of Monday's clash at the Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar.
After full-back Merchas Doski delivered a perfectly-weighted cross from the left hand side, Hussein cushioned the ball with his right foot before beating Jordan goalkeeper Yazeed Abu Laila with a composed finish.
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Moments later, the number 18 sprinted over to the far end of the stadium to celebrate with thousands of Iraqi fans.
Hussein then performed an eating action with his hands – a gesture that referee Alireza Faghani was far from pleased with. In fact, Faghani handed Hussein a very harsh second yellow card – a moment that baffled many.
Doha-based publication Al Jazeera were perplexed by the sequence of events. "I can’t quite believe this – seconds after scoring, Aymen Hussein is sent off," their live blog stated.
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"He picks up a second yellow card, presumably for his celebrations. It’s hard to see exactly what he did wrong there, but the referee showed no hesitation in pulling out his cards. What a turn of events."
Of course, heavy favourites Iraq went down to ten men after Hussein's dismissal and they struggled from that moments onwards.
After sustaining a huge amount of pressure in the final moments of the last 16 clash, Jordan eventually equalised in the 95th minute through defender Yazan Al-Arab.
Then, in a dramatic ending to the game, Nizar Al-Rashdan secured a last-gasp 3-2 win for the underdogs with a goal in the 97th minute.
You can watch that incredible moment below.
Jordan, who scraped through to the knockout stages after finishing third in their group, will face Tajikistan on Friday in what will likely be an entertaining quarter-final in Al Rayyan.
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Iraq were certainly one of the favourites coming into this year's Asian Cup, so they will see Monday's result as a real disappointment, especially given the controversial circumstances surrounding Hussein's sending off.