Palestine and Syria make history at Asian Cup

Syria and Palestine are in the Asian Cup last 16 for the first time in history after beating India 1-0 and Hong Kong 3-0, respectively, in their respective last group stage games on Tuesday.

In Group B, Syria went into their final group game with a five-game winless streak, three of which were draws and two losses. After starting the competition with a goalless draw against Uzbekistan, Syria lost to Australia 1-0 in their second group-stage game. A 76th-minute goal from Omar Maher Khribin sealed the win for Syria.

Meanwhile, the Asian Cup came to an end for India after they lost 3 out of 3 games, scored 0 goals, and conceded 6. 

In Group C, Palestine got their first-ever Asian Cup win with a 3-0 victory vs. Hong Kong and advanced to the last 16 for the first time. Oday Dabbagh scored a goal on each side of Zaid Al Qanbar’s 48th-minute strike to ensure that Palestine finishes third behind Iran and UAE in Group C.

Palestine lost 4-1 to Iran in the opening game before drawing 1-1 with the United Arab Emirates in the second group stage game. However, Hong Kong is now on a five-game losing streak.

Other results on Tuesday saw Australia and Uzbekistan draw 1-1 in Group B, with both teams qualifying as first and second in the group, respectively. In group C, Iran defeated United Arab Emirates 2-1, but both teams still move into the next round of the competition as first and second, respectively.

The AFC Asian Cup continues on Wednesday in Group D as Japan faces Indonesia, needing to avoid defeat to qualify after the shock loss to Iraq 2-1 in their second group-stage game.

The Iraqis won their first two matches and are through, but they will face Vietnam in the final group-stage game. The Vietnamese are yet to record a single point in the competition.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu