Palestine bow out of Asian Cup after spirited display against Qatar
In a match that saw two “home” teams face off at Al Bayt Stadium with huge support for the visitors, it was the form and the experience of hosts Qatar that helped them see off a spirited display from Palestine and book a place in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup 2023 with a 2-1 win.
The defending champions went into the round-of-16 fixture on Monday under the weight of expectations of a passionate home crowd and on the back of an impressive display in the group stage.
However, it was Palestine – playing in their first ever Asian Cup knockout match – who got off the blocks with wind in their sails and put early pressure on Qatar.
Playing in their white away kit, the visitors took advantage of a relatively slow Qatari start and launched waves of attacks on the Qatari goal.
In comparison, Qatar’s movement inside the Palestinian box was restricted – a plan by Palestine coach Makram Daboub that was executed to near perfection by his players.
“My players gave it everything they could and didn’t give them much space in the beginning,” Daboub said in his post-match press conference.
Palestine’s pressure and moves paid off in the 37th minute when Oday Dabbagh scored a lovely solo goal and joined his teammates in their signature “victory” celebration – crossing their arms and making the v sign with their fingers.
For a team that was swept away 4-1 by Iran in their opening game two weeks ago, the Fedayeen had come a long way to put one of the tournament favourites under pressure.
However, their defence couldn’t do much to stop the home side’s captain, Hassan Al Haydos, from scoring an equaliser in the sixth minute of added time.
The reaction from the home crowd was a loud expression of relief and joy.
