Iraq blank India 3-0 in Olympic football qualifiers

Amman, Jordan, Mar 1 (UNI) India went out of steam in the second session to go down 0-3 to Asian Games silver medallists Iraq in their opening Group E match of the Beijing Olympics qualification second round phase here.

India denied their fancied opponents any goal in the first half but succumbed to relentless pressure from the Athens Olympics semi-finalist opponents in the later half at the King Abdullah Stadium.

Mustafa Karim (51st minute), Alaa Abdulzahra (68th) and Aboodi Haidar (70th) scored for Iraq.

Amman has been selected as a neutral venue due to the unstable condition in the Gulf state.

India play their next Group E match agaisnt Thailand on March 14 in Chennai before taking North Korea on March 28 at the same venue.

They take on Iraq in the home leg match on May 16 in Chennai while the two remaining away matches are scheduled for April 18 (North Korea) and June 6 (Thailand).

The 24-team second round, which has been split into six groups of four each, runs through February 28 to June 6 with the top two teams in each group advancing to the final round.

Three group winners and China, which got automatic qualification as hosts, will represent Asia in the Beijing Olympic Games.

UNI