Balad, Iraq: Wearing a pink Ronaldo tee-shirt, Ali Qais stares nervously at one of the Al-Furat cafe's TV screens to watch his beloved Real Madrid in the Iraqi town of Balad.
Facing a poster of Real coach Zinedine Zidane, the sofa he is sitting on has two bullet holes in its back. Two weeks ago, gunmen sprayed gun fire and tossed grenades inside the cafe during a raid officials said killed a total of 16 people, including at least 10 on the cafe's premises.
"Tonight, it's much more than just watching a football match, it's a challenge to Daesh," said Qais, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group. "Until recently, I'm sure Ronaldo had never heard of Balad. Now he has worn the black arm band for our martyrs," the 29-year-old said. "I hope he scores at least one tonight," he added, shortly before his idol and his teammates jogged onto the pitch to face Madrid rivals Atletico in the Champions League final.
Cristiano Ronaldo did in fact, score the winning penalty in the thrilling match that extended into extra time with a 1-1 draw and was concluded on penalty shoot outs. IS claimed responsibility for the attack, although the exact circumstances of the raid and its aftermath remain unclear.
The carnage sparked an outpouring of sympathy from the football world, including from Real Madrid, whose players wore the black arm band for their final Spanish league game the following day.
"The reaction of the club gave us great joy," said Qassem Issa, the 39-year-old businessman from Balad who founded the supporters club seven years ago. "Of course, before the attack, we were planning to watch the final here. There was some hesitation but eventually we insisted to spend the evening here, as a show of strength," he said.
In the Al-Furat cafe's large garden, festooned with multi-coloured light bulbs and posters of the victims, officials, residents and poets took turns to honour the victims. Dozens of police men armed with assault rifles were deployed around the cafe to protect the venue and frisk the young men flocking to watch the final.
Survivors of the May 13 massacre stayed home but many Balad youths who lost brothers and friends broke down in tears during the hour-long ceremony. IS and other terrorist groups consider football a product of the Western society they despise and sport venues have repeatedly been targeted.
