Amman (AFP)

From Amman stadium to Tahrir Square in Baghdad, thousands of Iraqis savored Thursday's victory over Iran (2-1) as a sign of encouragement for the ongoing revolt against Iraqi power and influence the powerful Iranian neighbor.

Iraq triumphed on neutral ground with a goal in injury time after another day of protests in Baghdad stained by the death of four protesters killed by tear gas grenades.

Since 1 October, thousands of Iraqis have been demonstrating against the neglect and corruption of the political class, including chanting anti-Iran slogans, countries they accuse of supporting the government they want to kill at any cost .

Before the match, among the thousands of Iraqis to take place in the stands, Mustafa Abdallah told AFP: "Iran and its agents are the cause of the evils that swept Iraq after the fall" of the former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

"We came to the stadium not only to support the Iraqi selection but also to express our support for our fellow protesters who are participating in their biggest competition, the revolt against Iran and the injustice in Iraq," said the resident forty-year-old. in Amman, proudly carrying an Iraqi flag.

Not far away, Amjad Fahed, a 50-year-old, lamented that his country was "among one of the richest in the world", thanks to its energy resources, "but that the corrupt agents of Iran looted it," referring to Iraqi political leaders.

- "Heroes" -

This qualifying match at the World Cup-2022 was scheduled to be played in Basra, southern Iraq, but was moved to Amman by Fifa because of the "security situation" in Iraq.

The Iraqis, however, almost played at home because the Iraqi Federation had offered tickets to some of the 70,000 Iraqis living in Jordan.

In Amman Stadium, Iraqi supporters were dressed in black as a sign of tribute and mourning for the protesters killed in Iraq.

The Jordanian security forces, present in large numbers around the compound, however, prevented them from introducing protest posters.

Some thousand kilometers away, on Tahrir Square in Baghdad, the epicenter of the protest movement, protesters remained staring at screens broadcasting the meeting, as in Najaf, the Shiite holy city south of the capital.

The tone was given as soon as the Iranian national anthem was broadcast, booed by the crowd. "Iran out, Baghdad will remain free," chanted to the rhythm of Iraqi drums gathered in the main square.

And when Iraq opened the scoring in the 10th minute, the sound of fireworks was heard throughout Baghdad.

The match is "an important message," said 26-year-old Ahmed, wearing his national team jersey, while drivers from Saipa, an Iranian car brand commonly used as a taxi in Iraq, crisscrossed Tahrir Square with Iraqi flags, their passengers singing slogans to the glory of the national selection.

For Sara, 25, "the team has shown that there are heroes everywhere, not only in Tahrir Square".

© 2019 AFP