Palestine advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIFA Arab Cup for the first time at Qatar 2025, but Saudi Arabia won 2-1.
Palestine’s historic run in the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 came to an end with a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in extra time in the quarterfinals at Lusail Stadium.
Thursday’s game, tied at 1-1 after normal time, was decided by Mohamed Sugano’s bent header in the 115th minute.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Firas Alburaikan’s penalty gave Saudi Arabia the lead in the 58th minute, but Palestine, who reached the AFC Asian Cup finals for the first time earlier this year, equalized six minutes later with Odey Dabbar’s goal.
They will face either Jordan or Iraq on Friday before facing Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals on Monday.
In a tense first half, only one team had shots on target, reflecting the Saudi division of play, which included four shots on target compared to Palestine’s one.
That was when Salem al-Dawsari almost provided the spark that opened the Palestinian defense. The Saudi forward entered the box from inside the right wing and fired a cross-cam shot, only for Rami Hamada to dive from the goal line and tip the ball towards a group of players swarming the ball.
Al Dausari’s strike partner Al Buraikan looked certain to score an easy tap-in to break the deadlock, but a last-minute toe from Hamed Hamdan conceded a corner.
Before that, Hamdan himself had come closest to goal with a drive from the edge of the box, but his shot kept going over the bar.
Al Dausari made a brilliant run into the box from the left, but before he could take a shot he was tripped up by Mohamed Saleh, creating the breakthrough.
Al Buraikan did not miss the kick and fired with his left foot, sending the keeper flying in the opposite direction.
However, Dabur created a great moment to control a deep ball from the right with his left foot and it took him no time to respond.
The Palestinian striker then fired a drill shot with his right hand in almost the same movement, giving the keeper no chance.
Ali Majrassi came closest to restoring the lead for Saudi, but the right-back’s powerful strike from outside the box hit the top of the bar.
When Sugano scored in stoppage time, Palestine’s hearts heated up again, but the offside flag was raised.
However, things almost went from bad to worse when Saleh was awarded his second penalty of the match. After VAR intervention, the defender’s sliding attempt to block the ball and hitting him in the arm was deemed an accident, and the on-field handball ruling was invalidated.
The second half and overtime were just as tense as the first half, but advancing to the top four for the first time was an incredible feat for Palestine. Sugano’s header in extra time ended Palestine’s historic run, but Dabur’s volley blocked a great chance in the final minutes that could have tied the score and sent the match to a penalty shootout.
Earlier in the day, 10-man Morocco advanced to the last four with a 1-0 victory over Syria thanks to Walid Azaro’s 79th-minute goal.
Coach Mohamed Moufid suffered a red in the 91st minute in the match at the Khalifa International Stadium, but his side held on and are set to face the winner of the Algeria-United Arab Emirates match in the semi-finals.
