Iraq's German coach Wolfgang Sidka had attempted to suggest the 2-1 defeat was simply losing three points, but his counterpart thought differently.

"When these two teams play each other there's so much rivalry and history, so it's very difficult to get the players to concentrate and focus on football and it becomes a fighting game," said Afshin Ghotbi. "I was very happy my players were able to concentrate and could get this very special three points."

Iran, traditionally one of the major powers in the region, have not lifted the Asian Cup since 1976 and the pressure is firmly on the 46-year-old Ghotbi to bring that long barren run to an end.

But they started their title assault Tuesday poorly, nearly going behind at the Al-Rayyan Stadium after just four minutes when Iraq striker Younis Mahmoud was smartly denied by goalkeeper Mahdi Rahmati. When Mahmoud did score nine minutes later, Iran looked in deep trouble. But they soon worked their way back into an entertaining match, the nimble-footed Gholam Reza Rezai netting the leveller three minutes from the break.
And just as the game looked as if it was heading towards stalemate, Iman Mobali's free-kick somehow crept in six minutes from time.

"The game was complicated for us because of the rivalry between the two sides and also it was the first match of the tournament, while Iraq are the defending champions," said Ghotbi, who is moving to Japan's J-League next month.

Ghotbi, who cut his coaching teeth in the United States, will take over Shimizu S-Pulse, becoming the first Iranian to manage in Japan.

"After going one down, I was confident that we could come back," he said. "I have experience of playing against Iraq and they are the masters of killing time, so I thought that if we score before the half-time then we have a chance to win.

"We started the game a little stressed and that had something to do with the mistakes that we made. Then the game became more organised and I'm sure we can play even better football in the next game."

Iran next face North Korea on Saturday in Group D, while Iraq take on United Arab Emirates.