Poor Mark: this is at least the second time in about as many weeks that he's tried this type of "here's some positive news" thread, and he only gets grief for it!
Didn't I tell ya, pal? Same thing happened to me the last time I tried that, too!
They can't handle the (positive) truth! 
Quote:
Iraq managed to put its painful off-field distractions behind it to reach the final.
At the center of the delirious post-match celebrations was goalkeeper Noor Sabri, whose crucial save in the penalty shootout proved decisive.With the shootout tied at 3-3, Sabri lunged low and right, tipping Yeom Ki-hun's left-foot stab around the post to give his side the crucial edge.
After Ahmed Menajed slotted Iraq's fourth penalty, Kim Jung-woo had to find the net to keep the game alive. But his shot hit the right post. The Iraqis swamped Sabri in celebrations that were mirrored in their homeland, grabbing the national flag and racing around the Bukit Jalil Stadium, waving it in the air.
"You know the situation of the difficulties in Iraq," Sabri said after the game.
"What we can achieve inside the field, it's a modest thing we can give to our people. We have to show them we are sharing with them the celebrations."
Iraq's run in the Asian Cup has been a cause of rare joy in the Gulf nation, where people are saying the national team, with its mix of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, demonstrates that the warring ethnic and religious factions can unite despite years of sectarian violence.
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Reminiscent of the same types of stories about
la France...
Steve