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Palestine Starting XI (4-3-3): Rami Hamadi, Musab Al-Battat ©, Mohammed Saleh, Michel Termanini, Camilo Saldaña, Mohammed Rashid (Odai Kharoub 72’), Ataa Jaber, Mahmoud Abu Warda; Tamer Seyam (Islam Batran 81’), Zaid Qunbar (Mahmoud Wadi 84’), Oday Dabbagh
Cautions: Camilo Saldaña 77’
Goals: Harry Soutar 19’ (Australia)
FULL MATCH:
HIGHLIGHTS:
Recap: It is often said that the toughest part of football is scoring a goal. After 180 scoreless minutes and a point that could have very well been a total of three, four, or even six- Palestine will most definitely agree with that statement.
It was widely expected that Palestine would deploy a five man backline against the perennial World Cup finals participant and 2015 Asian Cup Champions. Australia, after all, struggles to break teams down. Logic would dictate that Australia should be given most of the ball and none of the space. As they try to force the ball down the channel- Palestine could spring up and counter the Socceroos.
Makram Daboub and his charges decided that logic need not be followed here. Surprisingly, they were vindicated for their brave approach. Palestine caused Australia all sorts of problems. Out of possession the pressed high up the pitch not allowing Australia any time to build from the back. Time and again possession was won in the opposing half as Palestine came at Australia in waves.
After five minutes of play Palestine had already done more against Australia than they did in the entirety of their first match at the 2019 Asian Cup.
If there was one thing that Palestine needed to be wary of- it was Australia’s threat on set pieces. The difference in this game was simply down to the fact that if a ball is whipped in to Harry Souttar in the right spot- it will generate a goal. Mohammed Saleh did not do a bad job of defending Souttar but the hulking center back was a full head taller than Saleh who himself is nearly 190 cm tall.
Palestine had an opportunity to equalize just before the half as their corner kick routine found Ataa Jaber in the box who flicked the ball onto Tamer Seyam. The Jerusalemite thought he had scored only for Mat Ryan to pull off a superlative save.
Palestine came out even stronger to start the second half but just could not find a way past the last line of the Australian defence. Australia had a brief spell where they created danger half way through the second half. Brandon Borello forced a top save from Rami Hamadi and an ensuing corner was smashed against the crossbar.
Oday Dabbagh had a shot destined for the net that was deflected out for a corner as the game waned into its final stanza.
Towards the end of the match it was Australia who was hanging on for dear life. Graham Arnold even brought on two substitutes in injury time to try and disrupt Palestine’s momentum. Substitute Mahmoud Wadi had a penalty shout that went ignored in the dying embers but without the benefit of VAR play was waived on.
Elsewhere in Asia: Palestine were dealt a helping hand by Bangladesh in the other Group I game. The Bengal Tigers equalized in the 72nd minute through Sheikh Morsalin four minutes after substitute Majed Osman had given the visitors the lead. Several Pot 2 teams are
Drought: The question on everyone’s mind now is whether or not Palestine’s single goal in six games in 2023 is cause for worry. Palestine were scoring for fun in 2022 and also scored 16 goals in eight games in Makram Daboub’s first year on the job.
In my mind, a team that creates chances will eventually start scoring goals. The hope is the floodgates will soon open.
What I Liked: Palestine did not play scared. They showed Australia the same amount of respect as any other Asian opponent and took the game to them. Just look at the statistical breakdown, Al-Fida’i had more of the ball in dangerous areas and did more with it. They proved they could match Australia’s athleticism and then showed that they were far superior technically than a team ranked 69 spots above them in the FIFA Rankings.
What I didn’t Like: We sat on our subs too long. I thought the game needed Mahmoud Wadi to come in and wrestle Harry Souttar- there needed to be a spark off the bench to send the game into overdrive.
Fans: They arrived a tad bit late (understandable due to the fact that kickoff was at 17:00 in the middle of the work week) but the 15,000 or so fans made a ton of noise. They did not boo the Australian anthem and injected some much needed atmosphere into the game.
Socceroos: The national team of Australia (unlike their government) had no problem taking part in a moment of silence under a statement that said “Solidarity with Palestine: Tonight we remember the innocent victims of the ongoing conflict in Palestine, especially Gaza. Our thoughts are with the people of Palestine. We hope and call for peace. Let us stand for a minute in silence and pay our respect to those affected by this war.”
A player-led movement by the Australian national team will also see some of the match fees donated to Oxfam for Gaza relief. The amount will be matched by the Professional Footballers Association and Football Australia.
Daboub: This is Makram Daboub’s first loss in seven qualifiers. His record stands at 5-1-1, 17 goals scored and a single goal conceded. More than just the numbers there has been a significant stylistic shift. This team is fun to watch. They are confident on the ball and he has made the best team possible with the players available to him.
Mahmoud Abu Warda may not be a natural #10, with the ability to split a defence open with a slide rule pass, but he is effective and energetic. Palestine is lucky to have such a resourceful manager and one that has stuck with the team in tough times. Hopefully the fans now understand that as I found calls for his head misplaced.
Man of the Match: SofaScore had ratings for this game and Ataa Jaber came out as the best performer of the day. I would like to nominate the captain- Musab Al-Battat- who was imperious on the wing and also rock solid when asked to defend. I can’t fault a single player over the past five days, though. Every single player has been amazing and done exactly what was asked of him.
Personnel Questions: Palestine did not make an impact substitution in this game until the final ten minutes of the game. This should leave the door wide open for new players to come in to camp. Islam Batran being relied upon in spite of his clubless status is bewildering. As was the decision to bring in soon-to-be former footballer Jonathan Cantillana. I respect the fact that the best team is not necessarily the best collection of 25 players.
In the era of five substitutions we seem to be missing an opportunity to manage games differently- especially when in need of a goal. I do believe that Muhamed Alghoul, Mahmoud Eid, Jamal Hamed Mayor and Yashir Islame deserve a chance and should be called up to the preliminary Asian Cup squad. Hamza Hussein of the Olympic Team is another player I would throw into the midfield mix.
If the team does well at the Asian Cup perhaps that can renew conversations with several dual nationals. Wessam Abou Ali (Sirius IF) should be top of that list but efforts should also be made to recruit Moustafa Zeidan (Malmö), Omar Faraj (AIK), and Camil Jebara (Elfsborg). The latter three are tied to Sweden while Wessam Abou Ali represented Denmark at youth level.
What’s Next: Palestine will travel to Qatar on Christmas Day to start their Asian Cup preparations. Al-Fida’i faces Iran on January 14th.
