Iraqis excel at Olympic soccer

This is nice to see:

The resilient Iraqis are making the most of their return to the Olympics.

They defeated Costa Rica 2-0 Sunday night in a soccer game that was temporarily halted when jubilant fans ran onto the field. The Iraqis second straight victory put them in the quarterfinals, quite an achievement for a team that can’t play games at home because of war.

Iraq was not expected to qualify for the Olympic tournament, much less open with victories against Portugal and Costa Rica. The country last qualified for the Olympics at the 1988 Seoul Games and hasn’t been in the quarterfinals since the 1980 Moscow Games.

Its success in Athens has provided a rare bright spot for Iraqis around the world.

“We’re delighted by the victories because we know what it means to our people,” Iraq coach Adnan Hamad said through an interpreter.

This was also awesome to see. The caption on the picture:

Members of the Iraqi delegation pose with members of the United States’ delegation during the Opening Ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games (news – web sites) in Athens, Friday, Aug. 13, 2004. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Wink and nod to Vodkapundit where I first read about this photo .