Qatar reach quarters after win over gritty Palestine

Defending champions Qatar on Monday rallied for a 2-1 win against Palestine after a first-half stutter to reach the quarter-finals at AFC Asian Cup 2023.
Playing at a packed Al Bayt Stadium, Qatar conceded a goal in the 37th minute when Oday Dabbagh found the net to put the Palestinians ahead.
Qatar captain Hassan al-Haydos produced the equaliser in injury time following a corner kick. Qatar’s mercurial striker Akram Afif converted a penalty in the 49th minute – driving to the right of Palestinian goalkeeper Rami Hamadeh – as the home team took the lead in the feisty contest.
It was Qatar’s 11th win on the trot following their seven in the 2019 edition they won in the UAE. For Afif, the Al Sadd stalwart, it was his fourth goal of the tournament scored in front of 65,000 fans at tent-like Al Bayt Stadium.
Qatar enjoyed greater ball possession (60-40) while sentimental favourites Palestine fired 11 shots on the Qatari goal, two more than the home side coached by Marquez Lopez from Spain. Palestine landed five shots on target whereas Qatar had three.
In the quarter-finals, Al Anabbi will take on the winner from the clash between Uzbekistan and Thailand on Tuesday. Qatar will return to Al Bayt Stadium in the quarter-final. For Palestine, ranked 99 in the world, it was a memorable event in which they scored six goals in four matches with three coming against Hong Kong last week. Prior to last night’s clash, Palestine had only scored just one goal across six AFC Asian Cup matches in 2015 and 2019.
“It was a game against Palestine and it was emotional. With all my respect I understand our fans (cheering for Palestine),” Lopez told reporters on Monday. “This is football, you can plan for something and it doesn’t always go to plan. Palestine’s players played very well, they were brave. The most important thing is we qualified (for the next round) and we have to retain our positivity for the future.”
Palestine coach Makram Daboub said after the match: “My players gave all that they have despite the difficult circumstances. I cannot ask them to do more than what they’ve done. I’m very proud of my champions. They have big ambition and they’re proud to represent the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people are very passionate. We wanted to make them happy but we’re sorry we couldn’t. We hope to be better in our next games and compensate for today’s loss.”
Following a cagey start, Qatar keeper Meshaal – younger sibling of global track and field star Mutaz Barshim – managed a diving stop on a long-range missile from Palestine’s Amid Mahajna in the 19th minute.
A few minutes later, Barsham thwarted another Palestinian threat when Abu Warda, ghosting down the left, met Zeid Qunbar’s pass with a deft touch, but the resilient Qatari shot-stopper was equal to the task.
Frustrated by Barsham’s brilliant saves for Qatar, Palestine’s Dabbagh decided to take matters into his own hands. In a moment of pure magic, he embarked on a solo run, weaving past two befuddled Qatari defenders. With laser focus, he drilled a shot towards the bottom corner, finding the net with ease. His third AFC Asian Cup goal delighted the Palestinian fans just eight minutes before halftime.
It was also the first goal conceded by Qatar in this tournament featuring Asia’s finest 24 teams.
In a heart-stopping finale to the first half, Afif and al-Haydos put together a magical move. Afif whipped a low delivery across the box, finding al-Haydos in trademark fashion. The Qatari captain’s first-time strike deflected off Musab al-Battat and nestled into the net, silencing the Palestinian cheers and restoring parity just as the whistle blew.
Minutes into the second half, Afif slipped in a low cross to Almoez Ali but Palestine defender Mohamed Saleh produced a rough sliding tackle on the Qatari resulting in a penalty. Afif calmly slotted home as Qatar took the lead 12 minutes after conceding the first goal.
Afif nearly put Qatar ahead late in the second half, bending a 20-yard free-kick over the wall and agonizingly grazing the crossbar to the relief of thousands of Palestine fans.
Monday’s clash saw fan turnout after 40 matches reach 1,068,587 spectators, a record tally that exceeded the number of ticket holders at the 2004 edition held in China.