Palestine Starting XI: Rami Hamadi; Musab Al-Battat © (Musa Farawi), Mohammed Saleh (Mohammed Rashid), Michel Termanini, Camilo Saldaña (Samer Jondi); Odai Kharoub, Amid Mahajna; Mahmoud Abu Warda, Islam Batran (Mahmoud Eid), Shehab Qunbar (Alaa Aldeen Hassan), Oday Dabbagh
Goals: Oday Dabbagh 43’, Shehab Qunbar 45+1’ 49’, Oday Dabbagh 53’ 77’
Cautions: Amid Mahajna 90′
Substitutions: Islam Batran <-> Mahmoud Eid 46′ // Camilo Saldaña <-> Samer Jondi 46′ // Mohammed Saleh <-> Mohammed Rashid 46′ // Musab Al-Battat <-> Musa Farawi 61′ // Shehab Qunbar <-> Alaa Aldeen Hassan 74′
FULL MATCH: First Half | Second Half
Recap: For the better part of forty minutes things were not trending well for Palestine. The nature of these types of games dictates that the favorite must score early in order to dictate the pace of the game. There were opportunities for Palestine to score early on with Oday Dabbagh and Islam Batran both failing to chip the goalkeeper within minutes of each other.
For their part, Bangladesh posed a threat on the counter and if not for some wayward finishing could have been up a goal. The starting lineup hinted that Daboub wanted to rotate and also give opportunities to players who had not played with their clubs. It was a gamble- and one that nearly blew up in his face.
The formation also did not help matters as Palestine were left to contend with an extra man in midfield. Bangladesh knew what they needed to do tactically- constrict space and break. It meant they could be exposed by balls over the top but for the majority of the first half everything was going according to plan for Javier Cabrerra’s men.
Mitul Marma had also played a part in keeping his team in the game, turning Palestine away several times. The goalkeeper did just that in the 43rd minute denying Mahmoud Abu Warda at close range only for the ball to deflect into the path of Oday Dabbagh who scored for the third straight game.
Things would get better for Palestine at the stroke of halftime with Shehab Qunbar pouncing on a corner kick delivery that evaded the Bangladesh rearguard to slot home his first international goal.
To his credit, Daboub rang in the changes at halftime. Off came the wasteful Islam Batran joined by the dual defensive liabilities Mohammed Saleh and Camilo Saldaña. In their place came Mahmoud Eid, Mohammed Rashid, and Samer Jondi. The changes succeeded in snuffing out any threat from Bangladesh
Shehab Qunbar would repeat the trick off another corner taking a low delivery from Musab Al-Battat and smashing it into the back of the net with just three minutes played in the second half.
There was still time for Oday Dabbagh to break Palestine’s goalscoring record. His first half goal pulled him even with Fahed Attal for official goals (14) and level with Ashraf Nu’man in second place for total goals scored (15).
A beautiful cross from the substitute Mahmoud Eid was neatly finished off with a volley for the Jerusalemite in the 52nd minute. That took him on to 15 official goals (16 total) and in the 78th minute a defence splitting pass from his namesake, Kharoub found him streaking towards goal. Marma saved the initial shot but could not save the follow up. Dabbagh’s first hat trick with the national team crowned him as Palestine’s top scorer with 16 official goals in just 26 starts.
Palestine’s focus will now shift to Tuesday’s game against the same opponent. Dhaka will provide new challenges in the shape of a subpar pitch, extreme humidity, and forecasted thunderstorms. Should the team be able to collect another three points, a first ever appearance in the Third Round of AFC World Cup qualification will be within touching distance.
What I Liked: Palestine got the job done and scored their first (five) goals of the campaign. Qualification is a results based business and the fact that the team was punchdrunk for much of the first half will matter very little. Several other teams across the continent are licking their wounds tonight. Syria, China, and Vietnam for example are in serious risk of not qualifying to the next round. Saudi Arabia and Iraq scraped narrow wins 1-0 at home.
Many will complain about the manner in which the win was achieved but 5-0 was the biggest result of Matchday three.
What I didn’t Like: I am all for rotation and even lending a helping hand to players struggling with their clubs but at some point the goodwill has to run out. Islam Batran turns 30 this year and while he has shown flashes he has struggled for consistency- tonight was another perfect example of his shortcomings. Mohammed Saleh is a great defender when fit. Today he was run ragged. Camilo Saldaña is the best left back in the pool but he had not kicked a ball in a competitive game since the Asian Cup. All of that was painfully evident.
This team needs depth and that depth will come with an injection of fresh blood.
Jersey Watch: Tempo made a comeback after a four game hiatus at the Asian Cup. The horrible number plating that has been Palestine’s signature look for the better part of nine years was also on display.
Records Tumble: Oday Dabbagh set the goal record but there are other players writing history. Musab Al-Battat registered his 63rd international cap and is one appearance away from being third all time in the category level with Khader Yousef and Tamer Seyam. His seven assists are the second most registered by a player since Football Palestine started tracking the statistic in 2014. Rami Hamadi is one match away from 50 caps- tonight was his 25th clean sheet.
Make no mistake, this is a golden generation and they are writing history in front of our very eyes.
What’s Next: Palestine takes on Bangladesh again on Tuesday in Dhaka at 11:30 AM Jerusalem Time.
