Hong Kong slipped to a fourth straight defeat after Iraq hit back following Matt Orr’s 61st-minute penalty to secure a 2-1 victory over the city team in their King’s Cup semi-final in Thailand.
Orr nervelessly stroked home his 11th international goal after Juninho was cut down by Ahmed Yahya as he sprinted to reach a left-wing cross from Fernando.
Graham Arnold, the Iraq head coach, promptly made a triple change, and it was one of the new men, Mohanad Ali, who turned the game on its head.
Six minutes after his side had gone behind, Ali tamed a firm Ibrahim Bayesh pass with his chest, before sending an overhead kick bouncing out of the reach of Yapp Hung-fai and in off the post.
Ali used his chest to control again 14 minutes later when a ball from deep dropped over the head of Leon Jones. The centre-forward resisted a challenge from Shinichi Chan, then skipped past Vas Nunez and thrashed home an unstoppable strike.
Head coach Ashley Westwood’s team will meet either the hosts or Fiji in a third-place play-off on Sunday at the 13,000-seat Kanchanaburi Stadium.
