2 days Ago
But in the seventh and final minute of injury time a foul in the box was spotted by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Defender Ahmed Taha was punished for tugging at Oman's Muhsen Al-Ghassani and Essam Al-Subhi converted from the spot to end Palestine's hopes of reaching the World Cup at the death.
A Match Filled With Drama
Palestine had put up a good first half and had gone near to scoring with a header by Michel Termanini which hit the crossbar. Kharoub put Palestine ahead with a fine header after the break. Wessam Ali looked to have doubled the lead soon after, with his effort on goal ruled out for a marginal offside.
Oman went down to 10 men in the 73rd minute when Harib Al-Saadi, who was first cautioned in the 35th minute, received his second yellow for a foul on Hamed Hamdan. Even with all those numerical advantages, and less than a minute away from securing qualification, Palestine's adventure was undone by one defensive mistake.
End of a Remarkable Campaign
It was the cruelest of ends for Palestine, which became the first team to reach the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in its history. Having to play home games in their adopted home of Amman, Jordan, because of the war in Gaza, the team's resiliency was a source of inspiration for fans everywhere.
But as the final whistle sounded, the Palestinian players fell to the ground with disbelief and tears, their celebrations cruelly taken away in the dying moments.
Oman progress now to the fourth round along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia. Two teams will then progress directly to the 2026 World Cup, with a third team progressing to the intercontinental playoffs.
Australia's spot in the tournament is already secured following a 2-1 win against Saudi Arabia. They are joined by fellow automatic qualifiers Japan, Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Jordan.
