Football at the 1999 Pan Arab Games

Algeria withdrew

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Syria	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
Oman	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	1
Algeria	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

19 August 1999

Syria	1–1	Oman
Afash  11' Haj Moustafa  61'		Al-Dhabit  61'

Jordan and Iraq faced off at the Amman International Stadium, with a capacity 25,000 crowd packed into the Jordanian capital; the home fans were hoping to see their side retain the title, while Iraq were enjoying the occasion after a tournament which defied expectations. The Jordanian king Abdullah II, along with his wife, were present in the crowd, with the king donning a national team shirt to show his support.

In a relatively quiet first half, it was the hosts who struck first, Abdullah Abu Zema sending Hashim Khamees the wrong way from the spot after half an hour.

The home side continued to dominate and grabbed a second five minutes after the break, a short corner fooling the Iraqi defence, and the tournament's top scorer Badran Al-Shagran lofted the ball over Khamees. It was 3–0 on 65 minutes, a similar routine from a corner seeing defender Radhee Shneishel slice wickedly into his own net. Jordan looked to have the trophy in their hands just five minutes later, Bashar Bani Yaseen racing clear down the left and drilling in a cross which Al- Shagran met with a diving header.

But then came one of the most astonishing comebacks of all time, rivalling the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final in its suddenness. In the 73rd minute, after some pinball in the Jordan box, striker Husaam Fawzi swivelled and cracked a low shot from 10 yards into the bottom corner. The crowd, still celebrating, were then stunned into silence when the forward outpaced Amjad al Taher and then earned a penalty when the defender tripped him. The striker dusted himself down and sent Muhammad Abu Dawud the wrong way from the spot for his 6th goal of the tournament. The Iraqis then cut the deficit to just one on 77 minutes when Haidar Mahmoud got a free header from six yards. The Iraqis, smelling blood, completed the comeback with just three minutes left when Mahmoud knocked on a cross for Razzaq Farhan to half volley home from just inside the box. The home fans were stunned into submission, and their team could not get going. Iraq, still tired from their exerts, could not find a fifth, and so the match went to penalties.

Shneishel converted the first for Iraq, his spot kick too powerful for Abu Dawud, before Abu Zema equalized. Fawzi then hit the post with Iraq's second effort, giving Jordan the chance to take the lead in the shootout, which they didn't take, Hassouneh Al-Sheikh's weak effort saved. However, Iraq's Riyadh Mezher hit the other post with his spot kick, and Badran Al-Shagran made no mistake, giving the Jordanians the advantage with two penalties left. It seemed as though the Iraqis' luck was out, as Abaas Abdulraheem's penalty also hit the post and went out of play, giving substitute Sufian Abdullah the chance to win Jordan's second title. The midfielder's shot was too precise for Khamees, who dived the right way, and he brought this fantastic match to a close.

31 August 1999

Jordan	4 – 4 (a.e.t.)	Iraq
Abu Zema  30' (pen.) Al-Shagran  51', 70' Shneishel  67' (o.g.)		Fawzi  73', 75' (pen.) Mahmoud  78' Farhan  87'
Penalties
Abu Zema Al-Shagran Al-Sheikh Sufian	3 – 1 Iraq went first	Shneishel Fawzi Mezher Raheem

Amman International Stadium

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Gamal Al-Ghandour