Receive news, analysis, and other content straight to your inbox by subscribing to Football Palestine (free or paid), here.
Starting XI (4-3-3): Rami Hamadi, Musa Farawi, Mohammed Saleh, Yaser Hamed Mayor, Samer Jondi, Mohammed Rashid (Odai Kharoub), Ataa Jaber, Mohammed Yamin (Islam Batran), Mahmoud Abu Warda, Tamer Seyam (C) (Ameed Sawafta), Mahmoud Wadi (Saleh Chihadeh)
Subs: Islam Batran <-> Mohammed Yamin 46′, Saleh Chihadeh <-> Mahmoud Wadi 63′, Ameed Sawafta <-> Tamer Seyam 84′ , Odai Kharoub <-> Mohammed Rashid 84′
Cards: Mohammed Saleh 45′ , Mohammed Rashid 77′
Recap: A sellout crowd of 45,000 in Surabaya greeted Palestine and their hosts Indonesia in a match that was much anticipated by supporters of Tim Garuda and Al-Fida’i alike. In spite the 56 place gap between the two sides this was an even contest in the opening quarter of the game. Palestine had more of the ball over the first 15 minutes but it was Indonesia who grew into the game as the first half wore on.
Rami Hamadi was called on three times to avert an opening goal for the hosts. Samer Jondi lost an aerial battle in the 21st minute and the ensuing header fell to Indonesia captatin Asnawi Mangkualam. Hamadi dived to his left to put Indonesian celebrations on hold. That chance did give Tim Garuda a boost of confidence and the hosts began to foray out of their defensive posture.
Rami Hamadi had to come off his line minutes later as Indonesia beat Palestine’s offsides trap and were clear through on goal. Palestine were under pressure as the half wore on and only Rami Hamadi and committed defending kept the scores level.
Indonesia were posing a threat on the counter as well as set pieces. While Palestine could not break down Indonesia’s defensive shape. Under the stewardship of Markam Dabboub set pieces have been crucial and have also helped spring games open. Palestine had few and far between in the first half and when they did arrive- they posed no trouble.
A common theme of the first half was the inability of the forwards to keep possession of the ball. Which caused many a chance on the counter for Indonesia as the holding midfielders and fullbacks were stuck in no man’s land time and time again.
The halftime whistle was a merciful break for the leggy Palestinians who badly needed to regroup and reanalyze. Makram Dabboub went to his bench at the half bringing on Islam Batran in the place of Mohammed Yamin that sub resulted in a corner kick minutes after the second half kickoff which produced Palestine’s best chance of the game.
Mohammed Rashid’s corner kick found debutant Ataa Jaber whose powerful header was spilled by Syrahul Fadillah into the path of an unsuspecting Yaser Hamed Mayor who could not produced a shot in the ensuing scramble.
In spite of Palestine’s improved performance in the second half, Indonesia still found ways to cause problems. If anyone thought that this would be a routine win in the vein of the win vs Philippines or Singapore or the pair of 6-0 routs of Malaysia in 2018 World Cup qualification they were proven wrong in emphatic fashion.
Palestine struggled to create from open play for the entire match and their attacking patterns of play were cut off by an Indonesian team that showed its ability to cut off the channels and win second balls.
In the end, the lone positive Palestine can take from this match is that they did not lose it in spite of being second best for most of the match.
What I Liked: The fans. Indonesia has the best fans in Asia and it is not even close. I can think of few fan bases anywhere in the world that would sing for 90 minutes nonstop during a meaningless friendly. That raucous atmosphere meant this friendly was a good test for the team who might be subject to similarly hostile environments during World Cup qualifying which is set to begin in November. This game also served to show that Rami Hamadi is one of the best goalkeepers in Asia and his presence means Palestine will always be in games.
What I didn’t Like: Palestine took too many defenders on this jaunt of the Far East. So when Plan A failed there was very little in the way of Plan B. The two guys who could make a difference were Islam Batran and Saleh Chihadeh. The last two subs used were defensive in nature. Palestine needs to audition more players to see who can push the established players. It was disappointing not to see someone like Samir Maarouf included given that he was not called by the Olympic Team.
Kit Watch: Palestine debuted their Tempo Kits. The White kit was paired with a decent number plating as well (issued by Jako and used during the 2021 Arab Cup).
What’s Next: Palestine take on China in Dalian on June 20th. Kickoff is set for 1430 Jerusalem Time.
