Rapid Reaction: Palestine* 0:0 Libya (2025 FIFA Arab Cup Qualifier)
Palestine beats Libya 4-3 on penalty kicks following a tense encounter that saw Palestine dominate statistically but fail to score.
Palestine Starting XI: Rami Hamadi, Musab Al-Battat (Amid Mahajna 87’), Mohammed Saleh, Michel Termanini, Wajdi Nabhan; Hamed Hemdan, Ameed Sawafta (Odai Kharoub 74’), Moustafa Zeidan (Khaled Al-Nabris 58’), Tamer Seyam (Ahmed Al-Qaq 58’), Oday Dabbagh, Zaid Qunbar (Mahmoud Abuwarda 87’).
Yellow Cards: Mohammed Saleh 48’
Goals: None
FULL MATCH
PENALTY KICK SHOOTOUT
Recap: Palestine’s squad for this match was subject of much secrecy in the build up but we were treated to some tidbits of information courtesy of photos from the team’s final training. They showed that there was a recall for Mohammed Saleh and the presence of his name in the starting lineup was one of several surprises.
Moustafa Zeidan and Oday Dabbagh were allowed to fly to Qatar to join up with their teammates following matches with their clubs over the weekend. Three of the four starting defenders started matches for their clubs in the Qatar Stars League 48 hours ago but were ready to go.
Palestine started the better of the two sides and midway through the first half had racked up 67% possession as they looked to play the ball quickly in behind Libya’s low block. The five man back line of Libya did its job of bending without breaking and from the ensuing corners- Palestine won five in the first half- there was no deadlock to be found.
The best chances of the first half for either side came in the final three minutes. Rami Hamadi collected a tame shot- which was officially registered as the only shot on target for either side- and launched a ball forwards. The gambling Oday Dabbagh used the defender’s leverage to unbalance Libya captain Ali Yousef and then rush into the space behind him.
All of a sudden there was acres of space and as the defenders closed down he teed up Moustafa Zeidan. In hindsight, the Rosenborg midfielder probably should have hit it first time but he instead lifted the ball and tried to hit it on the volley. The resulting shot sailed just past the post.
Moments later it was Libya who would nearly open the scoring through fullback Fadel Salama whose penetrating run was found by Musrati. Wajdi Nabhan had been caught out of position and Rami Hamadi had to come out to close the angle. Luckily for Al-Fida’i the shot rolled harmlessly past the far post.
Both sides would push the issue in the second half. Oday Dabbagh nearly opened the scoring in the 50th minute after he latched onto the pinpoint cross of Musab Al-Battat. His stabbed effort ended up drifting wide of the post.
If Libya were to get a goal it seemed that their number nine Ezzedine Al Mariami would be the most likely to do it. A pair of interventions were necessary to stop two efforts of his from reaching goal. On the third try, in the 57th minute he had time and space but inexplicably conjured up a tame effort that petered out of bounds.
The next twenty minutes ago were a chippy affair with both teams desperate to retain their grip on proceedings. Ehab Abu Jazar went to his bench in search of youthful vigour and found it in the shape of Ahmed Al-Qaq who spelled Tamer Seyam brilliantly.
Palestine won a corner in the 75th minute vis-a-vis industrious play by Oday Dabbagh. The ensuing set piece was only half cleared and an onrushing Hamed Hemdan who was denied his first national team goal by Subhi Al-Mabrouk who threw himself in front of the goalbound effort.
Palestine were desperate for a goal but Libya was proving nearly impossible to break down. Aliou Cisse’s changes had also helped the 2012 Runners Up gain a foothold in the game. When Khaled Al-Nabris was stripped of possession by Ali Yousef in midfield a domino effect of scrambling defenders seemed to signal doom for Palestine.
Once again, it was Ezzedine Al Mariami who wreaked havoc in the box peeling off Mohammed Saleh and finding with a brilliant pass Mahmoud Al Shalui. A first time shot was fired well wide and signaled the end of Libya’s attacking forays.
Immediately afterwards, Hamed Hemdan drove Palestine forward and found an outlet pass to Wajdi Nabhan who then laid it off to Zaid Qunbar. The attacker squared the ball to Oday Dabbagh but Subhi Al-Mabrouk intervened at the final moment.
Palestine final roll of the dice was to bring on Amid Mahajna and Mahmoud Abuwarda for Musab Al-Battat and Zaid Qunbar. Palestine would end up in a 3-2-5 of sorts as it searched for the knockout blow.
That blow was nearly delivered from a corner kick routine that was played to the near post by Abuwarda. His fellow substitute Odai Kharoub made a curling run and launched himself head first to the delivery.
Club African’s Osama Al-Shremy blocked the effort meters from the line just as Mohammed Saleh was ready to bundle it home.
The game script went exactly how Libya would have wanted it to. Aliou Cisse even managed to bring on a new goalkeeper for the penalty shootout in the dying embers of the match.
Th penalty kick shootout showcased Palestine’s steel grit and determination. Oday Dabbagh fired Palestine into the lead by hitting his kick into the top corner. Rami Hamadi then denied Ali Yousef from the spot and Palestine were full of confidence.
Hamed Hemdan and Mohammed Saleh also fired their shots with power to the goalkeeper’s left. Michel Termanini missed Palestine’s fourth attempt but Amid Mahajna restored order with a brilliant effort that hit the side netting.
Marwan Al-Hebeishi would sky Libya’s final chance and cue emotional celebrations from the players and fans in Al-Gharafa Stadium.
Man of the Match: Rami Hamadi. He made not a single save of note during the 90 minutes but was perfect in all the details of goalkeeping that go unnoticed. When it came down to penalties you got a sense that he was relishing a chance to shine.
Hamadi now has 29 clean sheet in 60 official matches and 34 in 68 total. The fact that he is a free agent at the time of writing shows how many clueless people work in football.
Ehab Abu Jazar told Football Palestine after the match: “When we saw that the time was running out we tried to manage the final part in order to get to penalties because we have one of the best goalkeepers in Asia.”
What I Liked: These are the types of games where you have to find a way to win no matter what. No one was going to do Palestine any favors and nobody was in the mood for excuses. Palestine had to play in the Arab Cup and they got it done. The coaching staff took initiative and put out a very attacking lineup. They weren’t rewarded in normal time but the result of the penalty kick shootout produced a just winner.
Palestine also cleaned up issues with set piece defending. They gave up one corner kick the entire game and only four free kicks in the attacking third. Libya generated nothing of note from those set pieces.
What I Didn’t Like: I understand that Mohammed Saleh is actually playing and doing well for Al-Rayyan but if he was going to be a part of the team then why not call him up at the beginning of camp? Saleh put a lot of demons to rest tonight. He produced good outlet passing, did not err in possession, and got his head on several Libyan crosses.
He also did several Saleh-ian things like picking up a needless yellow card. When he hit his penalty kick the man who has come to be known as Araby Maguire chose to celebrate in Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature style. This in spite the fact that the game was far from settled.
Libya: We will see what the rest of the African field produces tomorrow but this was probably the most difficult opponent of the bunch. This is a team that could produce big things in the future. Aliou Cisse has not lost since his debut on the road vs. Cameroon and today he fielded a squad with an average age of 24.5.
Reinforcements: It seems that now that Palestine is in the tournament there could be significant changes to the squad. Oday Dabbagh will have to travel to South Africa to face Kaizer Chiefs and will likely miss the opener vs Qatar but might we see Wessam Abou Ali? Mohammed Balah? Agustín Manzur? Mohammed Hebous? Adam Kaied?
We will soon find out.
What’s Next: Palestine will play Qatar in a rematch of the game that eliminated Palestine from the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Al-Bayt Stadium will once again be the venue. The match will be played at 18:30 Jerusalem time on December 1st and it will be preceded by a glitzy ceremony to officially open the tournament.