The joy of the Omani players when helping their team win 1 point against Palestine. |
Drawing 1-1 against Oman, coach Ihab Abu Jazar and his team ended their emotional journey with utmost regret. After 10 matches in Group B of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia, Palestine ranked 5th with 10 points - 1 point behind the team above, Oman.
In this group, South Korea and Jordan will directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Iraq and Oman will participate in the fourth qualifying round.
Back to the match, Palestine entered the match with a clear desire: to win to overcome Oman, to secure a ticket to the fourth qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup in Asia. They came very close to the goal when Oday Kharoub headed the opening goal early in the second half, after an exciting first half that saw Michel Termanini head against the crossbar and a goal ruled out for offside by Wessam Ali.
The advantage tilted even more towards Palestine when Oman was reduced to 10 men from the 73rd minute, after Harib Al-Saadi received a red card. The ticket seemed to be in their hands, but fate took a different turn.
In the 97th minute, after a seemingly harmless free kick, VAR intervened and determined that defender Ahmed Taha pulled the shirt of an Oman player in the penalty area. The referee pointed to the 11-meter mark, and Essam Al-Subhi made no mistake, extinguishing Palestine's first World Cup dream.
At the King Abdullah II Stadium (Jordan) - which Palestine had to use as their home ground because of the war in Gaza - a series of players collapsed on the field, sobbing. Just a few more seconds, they could have celebrated their historic victory. But the reality was too cruel.
Despite the elimination, Palestine still has the right to hold their heads high. They have made their first appearance in the third qualifying round of the World Cup, continuing the miracle of reaching the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup. In the context of war ravaging their homeland, this team has become a spiritual symbol for the entire nation.
For Oman, this thrilling draw was enough to join the group of teams that have qualified for the final round of Asian qualifying, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq and Indonesia (lost 0-6 to Japan). This round will determine the two direct places to the 2026 World Cup. The third-placed team still has a chance in the intercontinental play-off round.
In another development, Australia secured the final direct ticket when defeating Saudi Arabia 2-1 in Jeddah, joining the group of 6 teams present at the biggest football festival on the planet: Japan, South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Australia. Of which, Uzbekistan and Jordan qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history.
Source: https://znews.vn/giac-mo-world-cup-cua-palestine-tan-vo-day-cay-dang-post1559830.html
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