Hawar Mulla Mohammed is mobbed by team-mates after scoring

A Haidar Jabar own goal gave Portugal a 13th-minute lead but Iraq levelled matters three minutes later through Emad Mohammed.

Hawar Mulla Mohammed put Iraq 2-1 up after 29 minutes before Portugal equalised on the stroke of half-time through Jose Bosingwa.

Second-half goals from Younis Mahmoud and Salih Sadir gave Iraq victory.

Olympic football tables

The game was marred by controversy and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo was lucky not to be sent off in the first half.

He escaped with only a yellow card after a blatant elbow on Mahmoud in the 19th minute that opened a nasty cut above the Iraqi forward's eye.

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Ronaldo's team-mate Luis Boa Morte was not so fortunate, with the the Fulham striker being sent off for a wild lunge on Iraqi left-back Bassim Abbas six minutes into the second half.

"Everybody expected Portugal to win, not us," said Mahmoud.

"But we showed everyone we are a good team and that we can play good football and pulled off a surprise."

In Thursday's other matches Italy had to fight back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to draw with Ghana.

Emmanuel Pappoe and Stephen Appiah put the African team in charge but Italy hit back in the second half through Giampiero Pinzi and Alberto Gilardino.

In the other Group B match, Paraguay edged out Japan in a seven-goal thriller, with Jose Cardozo scoring twice for the South Americans.

In the second Group D encounter, Costa Rica and Morocco drew 0-0.