Palestine reach last 16 of Asian Cup with historic win as war rages back home

Palestine’s football team made history with their victory over Hong Kong on Tuesday, with the result seeing them through to their first-ever Asian Cup knockout game.

Despite war going on in their homeland, Makrab Daboub’s team lined up for their opening fixture in Qatar on January 14 striving to do what no Palestinian national team had done before. They lost that opener against an Iran side which had beaten Wales at the 2022 World Cup, but claimed a draw against the UAE in their second game on January 18 to ensure a win against Hong Kong in the final game would matter.

There was an on-field obstacle going into the game: Palestine had never won a match at the tournament before. Their first appearance in 2015 brought three defeats from three in the group stage, while in 2019 they drew twice but still suffered an early exit.

This time, though, it would be different. Despite the UAE pipping them to second spot in the group on goal difference, Palestine’s 3-0 win wrapped up third in the group with four points – enough to ensure they will progress as one of the four best third-place finishers.

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Palestine had to come through an arduous qualifying campaign to even make it to Qatar. After claiming 10 points from eight games in their first qualifying group, they faced an extra round of group games in Mongola in 2022.

They won all three of those without conceding a single goal, cruising into the tournament proper. However, in between the qualifying campaign and the opening fixtures, a lot has changed for the squad members in their home country.

A number of squad members play their club football in the West Bank Premier League, where play has suspended amid the war with no date set for its return. A number of the players also have family in Gaza and unable to leave, according to AFP.

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“I would like to thank all those who supported us,” Palestine captain Musab Al-Battat said after the win. “We managed to put a smile on the faces of those who follow us… inside or outside Palestine.”

“[I] knew this match was decisive… especially concerning the current circumstances that Palestine is going through,” Palestine’s Tunisian coach Daboub added. Belgium-based striker Oday Dabbagh scored two of the team’s goals, with Zaid Qunbar – one of the players who plays his domestic football in the West Bank – scoring the other.

Palestine now face a wait to learn who they will play in the round of 16, even though they’re already guaranteed a place in the knockout stages. Depending on results in the other groups, they will either take on Australia – who beat them in the group stages in 2019 – or host nation Qatar.

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