dThe little “football fairy tale” of the national team Palestine has come to an end. In the round of 16 of the Asian Cup, the outsider was eliminated 1-2 (1-1) against the defending champion Qatar and narrowly missed another surprise: Palestine, which reached the knockout stage for the first time in its third participation at the tournament. and the people who had brought great joy to their war-torn homeland initially took the lead after a goal from Oday Dabbagh (37th).

But Qatar, host of the 2022 Winter World Cup and the current Asian Cup, turned the game around with Akram Afif. The 27-year-old made it 1-1 thanks to Hassan Al-Haydos (45th + 6th) and then scored the victory from a penalty (49th). Palestine has been a member of the world association FIFA since 1998, although the state is not recognized in many countries. In the group stage, the Palestinian team won a match in the continental championship for the first time by beating Hong Kong 3-0.

While the Palestinian players were still trying to digest the defeat, coach Makram Daboub spoke proudly of his “champions.” His players “gave everything despite the difficult circumstances,” Daboub said: “I couldn't have asked for more from my players, they have honored Palestinian football.” Goalscorer Dabbagh and company “have great goals and ambitions,” said Tunisian Daboub: “He will always be proud to represent the Palestinian people.”

Previously, Jordan had reached the quarterfinals for the third time thanks to a spectacular comeback. The team beat Iraq 3-2 (1-0), although Jordan was 2-1 behind into injury time. Jordan celebrated twice in the final minutes thanks to goals from Yazan Al-Arab (90+5) and Nizar Al-Rashdan (90+7). Previously, Iraq had also come back from Braunschweig professional Youssef Amyn, Saad Natiq (68th) and Ayman Hussein (76th) reversed the half-time deficit caused by Yazan Al-Naimat (45th + 1).

However, Hussein helped the Jordanians stay in the game: after his goal, he imitated the celebration of the rival's goal in the first half, saw his second yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct and was sent off the field (77th).