KICKING OFF
Iraq boss is ATTACKED by press who have to be held back after dramatic late elimination from Asia Cup
The manager slammed the referee for sending off his striker in bizarre circumstances
ANGRY journalists attacked Iraq manager Jesus Casas after his side crashed out of the Asia Cup.
The Iraqis had just gone 2-1 up against Jordan when striker Aymen Hussein was sent off for mocking his opponents after scoring.
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The ten men looked as if they were going to book their spot in the quarter-final but conceded in the 95th minute.
Then Nizar Al-Rashdan broke Iraq's hearts with a winning goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
In Casas' post-match press conference, tempers boiled over and reporters vented their frustration at the Spaniard.
They pointed and shouted at the gaffer before getting out of their seats to confront him.
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Security rushed to stop the journalists from attacking Casas as he remained calm in his chair.
The furious reporters were eventually escorted out of the media room.
Hussein was given a second yellow card for running towards the corner flag, sitting down, crossing his legs and pretending to eat grass.
The Jordanian players had done a similar celebration earlier in the game.
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Casas slammed the referee after defeat, saying: "The red card changed the course of the game.
"In any major tournament players always celebrate scoring. The referee cannot give a red card for this.
"We all saw Jordan celebrating the same way and no card was given.
"The timing of the red card prevented us from making defensive substitutions as we had already made changes."
But Casas remained relaxed about his future, saying: "I'm calm and our goal is to qualify for the 2026 World Cup."
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