Iraq Earns a Berth in the Olympics

Iraq’s soccer team, whose players were brutalized under the regime of Saddam Hussein, qualified for the Summer Olympics with a 3-1 victory over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday at Amman, Jordan.

The victory, coupled with a 0-0 draw involving Kuwait and Oman, gave Iraq a spot at the Athens Games in August.

“Simply stated, this is the biggest moment in Iraqi Olympic history,” Ahmed al-Samarrai, the president of the Iraqi National Olympic Committee, said in a statement.

Gunfire echoed through Baghdad streets, and flares and tracer rounds illuminated the sky as Iraqis celebrated the victory, Agence France-Presse reported.

“Our entire country deserves this incredible win,” Hawar Mulla Mohammed, who scored the winning goal, said in the statement.

“When the bus pulled into the stadium tonight, we refused to think of anything but winning, and now we are headed to Athens.”

It’s Iraq’s first Olympic berth in the sport and comes less than three months after the International Olympic Committee reinstated Iraq as a member in good standing.

Keller in Question

Tottenham is close to signing Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson, a move that could cost U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller his starting job with the English club.

Robinson, a 24-year-old England international, is set to leave Leeds after its relegation from the Premier League to division one.

Keller, 34, joined Tottenham in August 2001 after a two-year stint with Spanish club Rayo Vallecano.

He has played the full 90 minutes in all of Tottenham’s 44 matches this season, posting 10 shutouts.

Champions Cup

Forward Alejandro Alpizar scored two goals to lead LD Alajuelense to a 4-0 victory over fellow Costa Rican squad Deportivo Saprissa at San Jose to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup, 5-1, on aggregate.

Froylan Ledezma opened the scoring for Alajuelense only six minutes into the match. Wilmer Lopez had the other goal for Alajuelense, which won the tournament crowning the regional club champion for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Italian Cup

Lazio beat Juventus in the Italian Cup final on a 4-2 aggregate after a 2-2 tie at Turin.

It’s the fourth Italian Cup title for Lazio, which beat Juventus 2-0 in the first leg.

Juventus led 2-0 on Wednesday on goals by French striker David Trezeguet and Alessandro Del Piero, but Lazio tied it with second-half goals from Bernardo Corradi and Stefano Fiore.

Copa Libertadores

Mexican clubs Santos and America were eliminated from the Copa Libertadores in late matches Tuesday, dropping out in the round of 16.

Santos scored a 2-1 victory in regulation against River Plate at Buenos Aires to send the series to penalty kicks, where it lost, 4-2. Santos had lost the first leg, 1-0.

At Mexico City, America could forge only a 1-1 tie against Brazilian club Sao Caetano, leaving it short after losing, 2-1, in the first leg.

America forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco was red-carded near the end of the match for elbowing Sao Caetano goalkeeper Silvio Luiz. America team officials said there would be additional punishment for Blanco and others who were involved in fights afterward.

Quick Passes

The United States men’s team tied an all-time high by moving up to No. 8 in the FIFA world rankings. Brazil, France and Spain remained the top three teams, followed by the Netherlands, Argentina, Mexico, Turkey, the U.S., Germany and the Czech Republic.... The Galaxy announced that it moved the date of its international friendly against Brazilian club Sao Paolo from June 5 to June 2 at the Home Depot Center.... Newcastle lost its spot in next season’s European Champions League after a 3-3 tie at Southampton. The result gave the fourth and final spot from England to Liverpool.

-- Compiled by Jim Barrero