The Palestine national football team scored its first point at the Asian Cup and can still hope to advance.
Makram Daboub’s selection fought to a 1-1 (0-1) draw against the United Arab Emirates in the second group game at the finals in Qatar and took third place in Group C. It is an emotional time for Palestine in times of the Gaza war Continental Championship.
Australia is in the round of 16 early thanks to the winning goal from St. Pauli’s Jackson Irvine, 1-0 (0-0) against Syria. The Socceroos had already won their first game against India.
For Palestine it is now a matter of progressing against Hong Kong, despite the difficult circumstances. Numerous Palestinian national players have friends and relatives in the war zone, and tournament preparation for selection was severely limited.
The war was triggered by the devastating terrorist attack by Hamas and other extremist groups in Israel on October 7th last year. They murdered more than 1,200 people. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive.