Palestine’s dream run in the Arab Cup eventually came to a halt when the Lions of Canaan were beaten by Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals at the Lusail Stadium last night.
The Saudis had to dig deep to come unscathed as Palestine refused to cave in. The challengers were determined to make it their night, but their stronger opponents prevailed in the end. Saudi Arabia earned a hard-fought victory, but the Palestinians won everyone’s hearts and left the tournament with their heads held high.
After a cagey goalless first half, Saudi Arabia broke the shackles through a penalty in the 58th minute, easily converted by Firas Al-Buraikan. But the Palestinians responded immediately by equalising 6 minutes later through Oudi Dabbagh.
Palestine denied Saudi Arabia through stoic resistance and forced the match into extra time. However, the Green Falcons eventually scored in the 115th minute as Mohammed Kano belted one into the net to give Saudi Arabia a hard-fought 2-1 over Palestine.
One of the most gruelling of matches culminated in the defeat of Palestine. The Knights made a great statement to the world with their performance in the shadow of the Gaza tragedy. Their grit, determination and defiance in the field of play reflected their extraordinary struggles at home.
Saudi Arabia continue their March with a semi-final clash against the winner of the Jordan vs Iraq contest.
Read Quick, Read Better @ rizkhan.in
Visit Sports FACTory YouTube Channel