DOHA: Palestine missed the opportunity to secure their first victory in the 2023 Asian Cup Finals after being held 1-1 by 10-man United Arab Emirates (UAE) at Al Janoub Stadium here Thursday night (early Friday morning in Malaysia).
In the second Group C encounter, UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa played a blinder against Palestine as he pulled off some exceptional saves throughout the game, including saving a Tamer Seyam penalty in the first half.
The UAE, who defeated Hong Kong 3-1 in their opening match on Sunday (Jan 14), shot into the lead when striker Sultan Adil skillfully slipped past Palestinian captain Mus’ab Al Battat to head home Ali Saleh’s cross from the left in the 23rd minute. However, the tide changed when Paulo Bento’s UAE were reduced to 10 men when defender Khalifa Al Hammadi was given the marching orders for a foul on Palestine strike Oday Dabbagh in the penalty box, following a video assistant referee (VAR) check.
Palestine, who lost 4-1 to Iran in their opening Group C match, were awarded a penalty but Eisa guessed correctly to save Seyam’s shot in the 39th minute.
With the UAE down to 10 men, Palestine slowly but surely gained control of the match to create some chances.
World number 99 Palestine, however, had to wait until the 50th minute to draw level when the UAE’s Bader Nasser inadvertently headed in an own goal while trying to clear Seyam’s cross, much to the delight of the 45,000 capacity crowd in the stadium.
The fans were ecstatic as they jumped for joy while the Palestine team, also known as Lions of Canaan, encouraged their supporters to pump up the volume and continue chanting ‘Palestine!’. Having earned their first point, Palestine must beat Hong Kong in the final group match on Tuesday (Jan 23) to stay in the hunt for a place in the last 16 as the UAE will take on the three-time champions Iran on the same day. The UAE top Group C with four points, followed by Iran (three points), Palestine (one point) and Hong Kong with no points. This is Palestine’s third appearance in the Asian Cup since their debut in the 2015 edition in Australia. – BERNAMA
