Salam Shakir scored the winning spot kick as Iraq stunned 10-man Iran 7-6 on penalties to reach the Asian Cup semifinals in a match of high drama between the archrivals on Friday.
In a sensational quarterfinal at Canberra Stadium, the sides were locked at 1-1 at full time before Iran twice came from behind in extra time to force penalties.
Iran had been a man down since Mehrdad Pooladi was sent off for a second yellow card late in the first half, sparking a furious reaction from coach Carlos Queiroz.