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It was a match designed to express solidarity. When Bohemian Football Club extended the invitation to Palestine’s Women’s National Team there was a sense that everyone expected the Fida’iyat would struggle to compete.
For all the progress Palestine has made on the men’s side of the game the Women’s National Team was in stasis for years. That allowed several countries in the region to pull ahead of them. Jordan, for example, were quick to establish a women’s league something the Palestine Football Association dragged its heels with.
To rejuvenate the side, a strategy employed with the men’s team was applied. The diaspora was mined for talents and they stepped up in a big way earlier in the year by beating Syria (1-0) and Iraq (3-0) in the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship. That run culminated in the semifinals and losses to Nepal (0-4) and Jordan (0-5) showed how much room there was left for improvement.
As such, Palestine’s win over Bohemian comes as a pleasant surprise. A scoreless first half gave way to an exciting second half and Palestine used an own goal to get back into the game before Union Berlin’s Nour Yousef hammered home the winner as Palestine emerged 2-1 victors.
The sellout crowd at Dalymount Park gave a great account of themselves as Palestine’s women’s team made sure their European debut was one to remember.
Off the Ball also conducted a great interview with Palestine Goalkeeper Charlotte Phillips. Palestine’s win is a boost for the country and the sport in difficult times but the Irish display of solidarity was a sight to behold.