Striker Younis Mahmoud scored twice to give Iraq a convincing 2-0 victory over Vietnam in an entertaining Asian Cup quarter-final on Saturday. The Iraqi captain popped up unmarked inside the area to head Nashat Akram's lofted free kick into the net after two minutes and set the tone for the rest of the match.
Iraq were the more organised team and were always on the attack, spreading the ball around the field and pilling pressure on a Vietnamese defence that never looked comfortable dealing with their taller, stronger opponents.
Vietnam rarely threatened but could have equalised on the stroke of halftime when Chau Phong Hoa darted down the left and cut the ball back to the unmarked Nguyen Minh Phuong, whose powerful low shot was blocked by the Iraqi defence.
Iraq continued to press forward after the break and doubled their lead in the 65th minute when Mahmoud fired an inch-perfect free kick over the Vietnam wall and into the corner. He almost made it a hat-trick two minutes later when Mahdi Karim found him free in the area, only for Mahmoud to side foot the ball over the bar.
It was fourth-time lucky for Iraq, who have been knocked out at the quarter-final stage in the last three Asian Cups. They will meet the winners of Sunday's match between South Korea and Iran in the semi-finals in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
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