Palestine lose to Iran but win hearts on ‘special night’ at Asian Cup
Al Jazeera
Iran won the group stage match 4-1 in front of an emotional crowd united in solidarity with Palestine.
Education City Stadium, Qatar – In the end, Palestine lost to Iran on the pitch but the team and the Palestinian people won over thousands of hearts in their opening match of the AFC Asian Cup at the Education City Stadium in Qatar.
The 4-1 scoreline in Iran’s favour fairly reflected the possession and dominance that the Asian powerhouse enjoyed in the Group C match on Sunday night, but it does not tell the story of a crowd that was united behind Palestine amid Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.
From the moment the stadium’s gates opened to the public, Palestine had some form of representation in the crowd filing into the venue in Al Rayyan, on the outskirts of Qatar’s capital Doha.
Fans from dozens of different nationalities who call Qatar home came dressed in Palestine shirts or draped in its flag and keffiyehs.
They danced to “Dammi Falastini” as the popular unofficial Palestinian anthem was played outside the stadium and watched in awe as a Palestinian dabke group performed on a stage outside the turnstiles.
