BASRA: On Basra Corniche, as neon-lit boats glide along Shatt Al-Arab and street vendors hawk Arabic coffee and oil-soaked sweetcorn, groups of young Iraqis debate football as if their words might affect the outcome.
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Iraq face the UAE tonight in a winner-takes-all World Cup qualifying playoff second leg, and the mood in this southern city flickers between feverish pride and foreboding.
“We will win, I’m sure about that. I have no doubt,” said one 30-something fan in an Iraqi shirt and matching scarf. “But I also have no reason for such confidence.”
For all the talk of home advantage, Basra has not been kind to its national team of late.
