Rapid Reaction: Euskadi 3:0 Palestine (Unofficial Friendly)
Two mistakes in the first half condemn Palestine to defeat at San Mamés in a game that will be remembered for everything but the scoreline.
Palestine Starting XI: Rami Hamadi; Musab Al-Battat (Emilio Saba 46’), Yaser Hamed Mayor, Amid Mahajna (Michel Termanini 46’), Wajdi Nabhan (Badr Moussa 75’); Tamer Seyam (Ahmed Taha 46’), Ameed Sawafta (Khaled Abu El Haija 75’), Hamed Hemdan (Moustafa Zeidan 75’), Ahmed Al-Qaq (Mahmoud Abuwarda 60); Zaid Qunbar (Oday Dabbagh 60’), Khaled Al-Nabris (Odai Kharoub 60’)
HIGHLIGHTS
Recap: The evening air in Bilbao had something of a heavy feeling to it. The winds had picked up on Friday and it looked like a deluge was set for the night of the match. That did not exactly take place by kickoff but there was an electric feeling in and around the city nonetheless.
There was no shortage of people wearing Palestinian scarves and Euskadi jerseys. There was a smattering of Palestine jerseys and an overwhelming number of Palestinian flags. If this was an unofficial friendly it certainly did not feel like it.
Proceedings in the Cathedral of Football got underway with a stirring artistic performance that combined Basque and Arabic musical styles. That gave way to a stirring rendition of both national anthems with the backdrop of a joint Euskadi-Palestine flag choreography.
When the match did get underway it was obvious that both sides would not be content with just knocking the ball side to side. Euskadi passed with purpose and Palestine tackled with aggression. Euskadi won three corners in the first four minutes. It was third time lucky for the hosts who headed home in the fourth minute to open the scoring. Palestine knew they would need to whether an early storm to have any hope of coming out of the match with a positive result. Conceding off of a set piece was disappointing to say the least.
To cope with the relentless pressure, Palestine were reduced to taking short goal kicks to retain some possession and build attacks. A last ditch tackle from Basque captain Igor Zubeldia was needed to prevent Zaid Qunbar from charging onto the goal unmarked.
A Good sequence 16 minutes in saw Palestine at their most fluid. Pressure from Wajdi Nabhan forced a half clearance and the ball would soon be back in the left corner. Tamer Seyam would win the ball and cross for what seemed to be a certain goal. The ensuing shot from Khaled Al-Nabris struck Ahmed Al-Qaq as it was goal bound and Musab Al-Battat’s followup effort was deflected resulting in another corner.
The two sides would continue to trade blows. Palestine looked capable of causing problems when it cycled the ball quickly forward. Zaid Qunbar won a free kick in the 21st minute in the attacking third that stopped a certain counter. A minute later Rami Hamadi was forced into his first real save of the night denying Kike Barja from the top of the box.
Five minutes later Al-Qaq’s corner kick delivery caused all sorts of problems with Aitor Fernandez flapping at a sharp delivery but no red shirt on hand to take advantage.
Euskadi were keen to assert themselves and the technical nature of the local footballers was on display in the 29th minute when Jon Guridi took on Al-Qaq, Al-Battat, Sawafta, and Hemdan before firing and forcing a save from Rami Hamadi.
With Palestine feeling they need to roll the dice to find a way back into the match they pressed Aitor Fernandez in goal but a chain reaction resulted in a sweeping counter. Gorka Guruzeta’s 34th minute header sailed harmlessly wide to the left of Hamadi’s goal was a harbinger of things to come.
As the game started to grow into a lull Hugo Rincón took matters into his won hands skipping past Tamer Seyam and Wajdi Nabhan. The latter engaged the Girona winger and there was shirt pulling on either side but a final shirt pull came from Nabhan in the box. The referee pointed to the spot and the penalty was converted by Athletic Club’s Gorka Guruzeta.
Both managers rang in the changes at halftime. Ehab Abu Jazar’s primary concern was strengthening the left flank so Ahmed Taha was trotted on in place of Tamer Seyam. Emilio Saba was given a debut replacing the team’s captain at right back and Amid Mahajna who had been ill this week was replaced by Michel Termanini.
There was a triple substitution for the Basques as well who did not miss a beat. The managers also rang in more changes at the hour mark.
Oday Dabbagh the national team’s leading scorer graced the pitch of the San Mamés looking to add to his tally for Al-Fida’i.
With a total of 13 changes for either side the match’s frenetic pace was slowed. More substitutions came in the 75th minute for Palestine leaving Rami Hamadi as the only player to see out the entirety of the match.
A quick restart from Euskadi left Palestine’s new charges discombobulated and Izeta all alone in front of Rami Hamadi to make it 3-0. 51,396 people were on their feet in the 85th minute to give the hometown hero Yaser Hamed Mayor a standing ovation.
There was a late push in the final stanza of the game for a consolation but with the flow of the match completely broken it looked unlikely to arrive. It ended 3-0 but the energy in the stadium showed no signs of dissipating. The loudest cheers were reserved for a lap of honor that culminated with both teams arm in arm in front of the ultras.
What I Liked: The atmosphere in the stadium had me pinching myself. This did not feel like a friendly. Perhaps the closest comparison would be Palestine’s friendly in the Stade 5 Juillet in Algiers back in 2016. Everything felt like an official match and when Palestine had sustained possession there were even whistles from the home crowd.
The referees called a clean game and did not bother putting time added on in either half.
What I didn’t Like: There were way too many mistakes and Palestine lost the match on two set pieces. Friendlies are for fixing things and the mistakes must be cleaned up before Palestine take the pitch at the Al-Gharafa Stadium against Libya.
Debutants: Several players made their unofficial debuts with the national team. Ahmed Al-Qaq was perhaps the pick of the bunch alongside Emilio Saba. There were also first time appearances for Khaled Abu El Haija and Khaled Nabris.
What’s Next: Palestine face Catalunya at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for 19:30 Jerusalem time.