Among the many amazing moments in this morning's epic Asian Cup quarter-final between Iran and Iraq was Younis Mahmoud's panenka in the shootout.

The Kirkuk man's strike wasn't his country's winner - but it was probably the one we'll all remember most because of its Pirlo-esque elegance. 

Like the Italian great, Mahmoud has a soft spot for an audacious penalty attempt, although he's a bit more hit-and-miss than his Azzurri counterpart.

You only have to go back a few weeks to the last time he fluffed his lines - a pre-Asian Cup warm-up against ... you guessed it - Iran.

The Lions of Mesopotamia captain was subsequently pulled from in-game penalty duties this week after missing this spot-kick (from 1.57 in the video below) against Palestine on Tuesday.

At least he wasn't mucking around with a panenka this time - and had the decency to have already put Iraq in front (from 1.10).

Indeed, it was the first goal in a 2-0 victory which secured a place in this morning's clash with Iran. And although we did say 'hit-and-miss', don't be fooled into thinking today's sublimity was a one-off.

Just a couple of years ago, the veteran striker produced a similar moment of genius in the Gulf Cup of Nations. 

With his nation tied in a semi-final shootout against Bahrain, Mahmoud stepped forward and had the nerve to set the precedent for his Canberra classic.

But it probably matters little to Iraqis whether the 31-year-old plays the sinner or the saint in their national team nowadays.

From Baghdad to Basra, Mahmoud will forever be remembered as the man who scored the winner in the final of the 2007 Asian Cup.

It was the Lions of Mesopotamia's one and only Asian Cup success to date but who'd bet against the king of Kirkuk coming good one more time next week.