2007 ASIA GAMES SHOCKER: IRAQ BEATS SAUDI ARABIA IN FINAL!

RTE (IRELAND):

The Iraqi national football team has won the Asian Cup for the first time, beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the final in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The team includes Sunnis, Shias and Kurds and has been widely praised for its uniting influence on the country.

TAKE THAT AL QAEDA!

ABC/AP:

Defying orders from authorities, celebratory gunfire resounded across Baghdad and revelers poured into the streets after Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to clinch its first Asian Cup soccer championship on Sunday while mosques broadcast calls for the shooting to stop.

Security forces, meanwhile, enforced a vehicle ban in an effort to prevent a repeat of car bombings that killed dozens celebrating Iraq's progress to the finals in Asia's top soccer tournament.

Iraqis welcomed the victory as a chance to show the world they can come together and expressed frustration that their politicians couldn't do the same.

"Those heroes have shown the real Iraq. They have done something useful for the people as opposed to the politicians and lawmakers who are stealing or killing each other," said Sabah Shaiyal, a 43-year-old policeman in Baghdad. "The players have made us proud, not the greedy politicians. Once again, our national team has shown that there is only one, united Iraq."

The Iraqi team, known as the "Lions of the Two Rivers" beat three-time champions Saudi Arabia 1-0 in its first appearance in the Asian Cup final.

The jubilation over the victorious run of the team has given Iraqis a rare respite from the daily sectarian attacks, with men of all ages cheering and dancing in the streets after the quarterfinals and the semifinals.

But extremists seemed just as determined to destroy national pride and unity.

EXTREMISTS AND DEMOCRATS!

THE PLURALISTIC DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF IRAQ: CHAMPIONS.