Palestine's Oday Dabag plays an active role in the Asia Cup Group C match against Hong Kong. (Photo provided by Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
(Photo provided by Masashi Hara/Getty Images)
Palestine reached the finals for the first time, but lost 2-1 to hosts Qatar in the last 16 on Monday and were eliminated from the Asian Cup.
The match in northern Doha was played against the backdrop of the Israeli-Hamas war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, and a short moment of silence was observed before kick-off.
Some Palestinian players have lost loved ones or had family members trapped in Gaza, forcing the team to train and play overseas in preparation for the tournament.
Palestine's Odey Dabbar scored the opening goal in the 37th minute, surprising the crowd of approximately 65,000 people gathered at the tent-like Arbeit Stadium.
He and his teammates celebrated by raising and crossing their arms in a handcuff gesture to symbolize the plight of the Palestinian people.
Qatar's captain Hassan Al-Haydos equalized the score in first-half stoppage time, and Akram Afif scored his fourth goal of the tournament from a penalty kick four minutes into stoppage time.
The host team won four of the four matches in the tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals against either Uzbekistan or Thailand.
It was also their 11th consecutive victory in the Asia Cup, which they first won in 2019.
Qatar coach Tintin Marquez named his strongest starting lineup after using all 26 members of his team in the group stage.
Afif returned alongside striker Almoez Ali after being rested for Qatar's final group match.
The home side took control in the early stages, but it was Palestine who had the first chance. Mahaina took a shot from distance that goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham curled around the post.
Dubba went over the bar as Palestine continued to threaten, but Barsham came to the rescue again from Mahmoud Abu Warda's shot.
Qatar conceded their first goal of the tournament after receiving a sloppy pass from defender Bassam Al-Rawi.
Dabur grabbed the loose ball, fended off two Qatari defenders and fired a shot into the far corner.
It was a natural result for Palestine, but Qatar equalized with virtually the last kick of the first half.
Afif flicked Haydos out with a cut-back corner and the captain pushed the ball past goalkeeper Rami Hamada.
Qatar took the lead just four minutes after the restart after being awarded a penalty for a foul by Mohamed Saleh on Ali.
Afif made no mistakes from the spot and Qatar were well on their way for the rest of the match as Palestine got very tired.
