Palestine boost Asian Cup knockout hopes after draw with UAE
Al Jazeera
Palestine frustrated by 10-man UAE at Asian Cup but a 1-1 draw gives them hope going into the final group game.
Al Wakrah, Qatar – It was a night to remember at Al Janoub Stadium – a night that belonged to Palestine irrespective of the result on the pitch.
The crowd’s noise, flags and numbers all were in the favour of the team that came into the match with an AFC Asian Cup 2023 loss to its name and a relentless war on its people.
The unrestrained show of love and support for the war-struck nation began before kick off, increased as the night wore on and quietened down only when the last set of fans had left the stadium’s at the end of Palestine’s Group C match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Al Wakrah on Thursday night.
Chants of “Free, free Palestine” went up in a crescendo when the players walked out of the tunnel and onto the pitch. The Palestinian players acknowledged the crowd with waves and applause before gathering in a huddle.
“The players will feel a sense of responsibility tonight – they must be aware that they are carrying the hopes of a nation under war,” Mariana al-Hindi, a Palestinian resident of Qatar, told Al Jazeera ahead of kick off.
