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Palestine’s hopes for a second U23 AFC Asian Cup qualification were shot before a ball was kicked in Manama this evening. A lack of motivation was exacerbated by Palestine’s inability to score in the opening 45 minutes. Things got worse in the second half as Pakistan took the lead in the 53rd minute capitalizing off a defensive mix up between Abuimier and Rabiei.
Palestine had been wasteful in possession and with any chance presented to them up to that point. A renewed sense of urgency did not bring a goal until substitute Mohammed Sandouqa was fouled just inside the penalty area- winning a penalty kick. Khaled Al-Nabris who had been guilty of wasting more than one chance made no mistake from the spot. Five minutes later- in the 105th minute- the same player headed home the winner.
It was a great moment for Khaled Al-Nabris who had to endure a lost season last year after Al-Ismaily refused to pay his wages. A return to Gaza was not what he had envisioned for his career after leading the league in scoring as an 18 year old in 2020/21.
That said, this game might represent a watershed moment for the forward who will still be eligible to compete at this level for another three years.
A loss to Pakistan- which was on the cards for over 90 minutes- would have left Palestine in Pot 4. Instead the team now will be placed in Pot 2 when qualifying kicks off for the 2026 edition.
That is because the Asian Football Confederation seeds qualification groups at youth level not on a coefficient system but on the performance of the previous edition.
Now, Palestine will be left to rue their narrow loss to Japan who suffered a nervy ending to their 0-0 draw with Bahrain. The hosts had even scored from a free kick only for the referee to rule it out after it was determined that the Bahrainis had not waited for the referee’s whistle.
There was serious controversy further afield where poor refereeing decisions led to consequences felt across the Asian continent. In Iran’s match against Uzbekistan an Uzbek player managed to stay on the pitch despite being show two yellow cards.
Kuwait was awarded a penalty in their match against Iraq (a 2-2 draw) the result of which allowed Kuwait to advance as one of the best runners up.
