Rapid Reaction: Syria 0:0 Palestine (2025 FIFA Arab Cup)
Neighbors celebrate as drab draw sends both Syria and Palestine to the quarterfinals of the FIFA Arab Cup
Palestine Starting XI: Rami Hamadi, Musab Al-Battat (C), Michel Termanini, Mohammed Saleh, Wajdi Nabhan; Hamed Hemdan (Odai Kharoub 88’), Amid Mahajna, Khaled Nabris (Ameed Sawafta 67’); Tamer Seyam (Ahmad Al-Qaq 88’), Zaid Qunbar, Oday Dabbagh (Khalid Abu El Heija 90’).
Yellow Cards: Michel Termanini 42’
Goals: None
HIGHLIGHTS
Recap: The moment the final whistle sounded at the Khalifa International Stadium and the score read Qatar 1:1 Syria the fate of the four teams in Group A was sealed. Tunisia and Qatar would have thought they would be in the first two positions but the footballers in white and green tonight flipped the table.
Palestine and Syria who controlled their own destiny. It was Tunisia and Qatar who needed to win and get help. It looked in the first half that Palestine might be able to find a breakthrough but Elias Hadaya and the Syrian defence swatted away the forthcoming danger.
Palestine still also had to deal with Omar Khribin who was the main source of danger for theEagles of Qasioun. The team did a good job cutting off the supply line and the back line limited his looks on goal.
It did become clear that while Palestine intended to score an early goal they were also preoccupied with not losing the valuable point which would send them to the quarterfinals.
As the game wore on, an error would prove the death knell of either team. The 1-0 scoreline between Tunisia and Qatar at halftime would have still seen Palestine through on fair play points but then Tunisia added a second and even after the sending off of Saifeddine Jaziri there was no Qatari fightback. Tunisia won 3-0 and their fans were waiting for something to happen at Education City Stadium.
A dubious penalty was awarded in the 62nd minute against Palestine after Wajdi Nabhan was adjudged to have fouled Mohammad Al-Salkhadi. Omani referee Ahmed Al-Kaf was called to the monitor and he made the right call after reviewing the evidence.
As the match wore on you could tell both sides were growing increasingly uncomfortable with the scenario. It was a Prisoner’s Dilemma played out in the football pitch.The opportunity cost of venturing forward was too much for either side and although the game devolved into a farce in the final ten minutes the atmosphere at the Education City Stadium was absolutely electric. Neither set of fans wanted to see the opponent go out- 39,571 (429 seats short of a sell out) willed the countless Bab Al-Harra memes into existence.
The final whistle featured joint celebrations and an exchange of jerseys. Omar Khribin took Amid Mahajna’s number 20. Michel Termanini hugged his friend Elias Hadaya and exchanged jerseys with him. A special twelve days for both Syria and Palestine has seen them past stubborn opponents in the play-in round and upset two tournament favorites in epic fashion.
Fans will not- and truthfully should not- remember much about the football tonight but this is a moment that will live long in the memory for both fans of Palestine and Syria.
What I Liked: Palestine are top of the group. Hamed Hemdan did not pick up a yellow card and other than a minor knock picked up by Oday Dabbagh have avoided injury.
What I didn’t Like: It seemed like we did not know what to do with substitutions. I would have expected them to arrive earlier they eventually did come but I would have liked to see Yaser Hamed get a run out so that all outfield players could log minutes in the tournament.
I will also say that matches flowed a lot better when we had referees from outside of Asia. Ahmed Al-Kaf didn’t need to brandish a yellow card tonight to Michel Termanini and his initial penalty call was so laughably wrong. Here’s hoping AFC referees get eliminated before the quarterfinals.
Man of the Match: FIFA awarded it to Mohammad Al-Salkhadi of Syria. The decision is a little puzzling. I would award it to Musab Al-Battat, the Palestine captain did not put a foot wrong all night. The 32 year old won duels in defence, got forward and his crosses created what little attacking threat existed on the night.
Fair Play: The fact of the matter is that if the shoe was on the other foot and Qatar and Tunisia played out a dull 0-0 to eliminate a hypothetical winner in this match no one would bat an eyelid. Tunisia woke up tonight and battered Qatar 3-0 but the tournament started last Saturday they lost inexplicably to Syria and then collapsed versus Palestine.
For the teams moving on- Tunisia exit is a big plus as they could have been a potential semifinal opponent. That is no longer the case.
Green Jerseys: It will take some getting used to seeing Syria decked out in Green. When the jerseys were swapped it made me realize how good our team looks in the color which was ditched in favor of red when Jibril Rajoub took over. Palestine wore the color just twice under the Fatah strongman in a pair of 2014 World Cup Qualifiers against Afghanistan and Thailand.
What’s Next: Palestine will play the second place team from Group B which could be one of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, or Oman on Thursday, December 11th at Al-Bayt Stadium. Kickoff is set for 19:00 Jerusalem Time.