The Palestine national football team suffered a defeat against tournament favorites Iran in their emotional opening game at the Asian Cup. Makram Daboub’s selection lost 1:4 (1:3) in Al-Rajjan in Qatar.
It was an emotional start to the continental championship for Palestine during the Gaza War. Numerous Palestine flags and expressions of solidarity could be seen in the spectator stands, and during the national anthem some team members had tears in their eyes. A minute’s silence before kick-off was followed by chants of “Free Palestine.”
The game had special circumstances. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Iran has repeatedly reiterated its support for the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 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. Numerous Palestinian national players have friends and relatives in the areas, and tournament preparation for selection was severely limited.
“The difficulties are nothing new for us,” said national coach Daboub before the start of the tournament. Karim Ansarifard (2nd minute), Shoja Khalilzadeh (12th), Mehdi Ghayedi (38th) and ex-Leverkusen player Sardar Azmoun (55th) scored the goals for Iran. Palestine’s only goal was scored by Tamer Seyam (45th + 6th). The other opponents of the two teams in the preliminary group are the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.