It's called the Agony of Doha in Japan and the Miracle of Doha in South Korea. In the final minute of the final game of qualification for the 1994 World Cup, Japan conceded a goal that crushed their American dreams and sparked mass celebrations in Seoul. The Koreans weren't the ones who scored however. It was an Iraq team with nothing to play for. The boys from Baghdad may not arrive down under for Tuesday's final qualifier for the 2014 World Cup in great condition but they have form when it comes to breaking hearts.
The only pain in Sydney on Tuesday, if all goes to plan, could be listening to another attempt at small talk from the usually taciturn tactician Holger Osieck. Relaxed and happy after the win over Jordan last week, the German coach let slip to journalists that he tells his wife that women should shut up in public. Quite what he will say if Australia get the win they need to secure a place in Brazil, doesn't bear thinking about. Perhaps it will be drowned out by the sell-out crowd of 80,000 fans cheering on Australia against the already eliminated Iraqis. There is even a failsafe in the fact that a draw or defeat is fine unless Oman go to Jordan and pick up a surprise victory. What could possibly go wrong?
According to the mantra repeated by players all week – you know the kind of thing "nothing should be taken for granted, Iraq should not be underestimated and nobody should get too excited" – plenty. After all, Jordan may be strong at home but will be tired after the long journey back from Melbourne and the 4-0 spanking handed out by Robbie Kruse and co. If Oman play as well in Amman as they did in Sydney in March when they left disappointed to draw 2-2 then anything could happen.
And then there is Iraq. Just one win in seven games does not tell the whole story. This team is a rudderless chariot. It may have no direction but talent and pride are spikes on the wheels ready to savage any over-confident foot stepping forward expecting to feel the cool sand of Copacabana beach. All remember how nobody gave the Lions of Mesopotamia a hope going into the 2007 Asian Cup: but they won the whole thing, deservedly beating a very strong Australian team along the way.
Zico, a coach who puts the lack into lackadaisical, was in charge at the start of the final stage and was so excited at taking Iraq to Brazil for the World Cup that he spent most of his time in his homeland – presumably checking out suitable hotels and training grounds. At the end of 2012, after the inevitable pay dispute that saw the almost bankrupt Iraqi FA releasing bank transfer documents to prove that his sizeable salary had been sent, the White Pele left.
Now in charge is Vladimir Petrovic, ex-Serbia coach and partly responsible for China's dismal failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. The former Red Star Belgrade and Arsenal star is expected to be fired after the game in Sydney.
It really is a recipe for defeat when you consider that Iraq will be without 2007 hero and captain Younis Mahmoud and star playmaker Nashat Akram. The pair announced their retirement from international football last week following defeat to Japan with the former also claiming he will hang up his boots completely. The striker's influence has never been in doubt on the pitch but he's also been accused of wielding even more power off it, sometimes to the displeasure of some other senior stars. The hope is that once the mess is sorted out, Iraq's talented youngsters – a number of the team will go straight onto the Under-20 World Cup next week and an opening match with England – will flourish without the old guard. Sydney may be too soon however.
If Iraq could actually play in Iraq, home games are in Qatar due to Fifa's insistence, with full stadiums and partisan crowds behind them instead of half-empty and almost neutral arenas, then perhaps they would still be in contention. Perhaps then, last October, Australia would not have come back from a goal down late on to win 2-1 in Doha. But in qualification Iraq have been inconsistent – no change there – with good displays against Japan and Jordan sandwiching a truly dire performance in Oman on 4 June. That 1-0 loss ended any serious hopes of qualification.
Oman seem to bring out the worst in people and after their 2-2 draw in Sydney in March, Osieck's grip on the job was weaker than his excuse given for his sexist comment when he tried to blame St Paul the Apostle. Just 180 minutes of football later and there is a spring in the step of Aussie football. Nobody is saying that the German is a genius but he is at least lucky.
Performing well in the first half of the final round and then stumbling over the finish line would have meant 12 months of pre-Brazil grumbling but in football, a strong second half sends the fans home happy, regardless of what happened in the first. After the pleasing Japan and Jordan displays, it doesn't really matter how Australia play against Iraq. A vintage performance would be nice but it is all about the win.
Failing to do so does not mean failure to qualify but it would be a huge anti-climax. If there is a long night on Tuesday, all want it to be spent celebrating and planning trips to Brazil. The thought of not getting the three points and then having to wait almost five hours for Jordan and Oman to kick off is not an attractive one. Jordan need victory to take third place and enter the play-off route but if Iraq do the business then Oman will know that victory equals a first World Cup. Australians enjoy drama but that would be much too much, much too late.
There's not much drama these days about the starting 11. Conservative even when the team was not playing well, Osieck is not going to change an awful lot now they are actually playing football and getting results. Tuesday's game could see a second successive unchanged line-up. And Sydney has a part to play too. The same arena witnessed that John Aloisi penalty against Uruguay in 2005 which changed everything and now it's time for the harbour city to do its thing once again.
And hopefully for Australia, Iraq will not do its thing once again and spoil the World Cup party. The Agony of Sydney would be too much to handle
