At Asian Cup, Palestine stunningly advances
The World Cup is the biggest and best global soccer tournament, but each of FIFA’s six continental divisions — North/Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania — run their own championships every few years. Two of those championships, Africa’s Africa Cup of Nations and Asia’s Asian Cup, are being played now, and they’re delivering drama and great soccer.
Here are the biggest headlines from the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Palestine earned its first Asian Cup win — and advanced to the knockout rounds: In one of the most compelling stories of the Cup, Palestine fought through three difficult games to secure a spot in the knockout rounds of the tournament for the first time in its history.
After losing 4-1 to Iran in its opening match and drawing 1-1 with the United Arab Emirates in its second, Palestine needed a big win against Hong Kong to move forward — and it achieved that with style, winning 3-0 thanks to goals from Oday Dabbagh and Zaid Qunbar.
Palestine captain Musab Al-Battat, visibly emotional after the match, commended his team for delivering on "a promise we made to the Palestinian people."
"I would like to thank all those who supported us," he said. "We managed to put a smile on the faces of those who follow us, inside or outside Palestine."
Central Asian nations showed up in a big way: You may not be able to find Uzbekistan or Tajikistan on a map, but you will be able to find them in the knockout rounds of the Asian Cup. The two Central Asian countries clinched their spots Tuesday morning after convincing performances against tough opposition. Uzbekistan drew 1-1 with heavyweights Australia while Tajikistan scored its first Asian Cup goal — and secured its first Asian Cup win — against Lebanon.
India and China continue to struggle: The two biggest nations in Asia offered turgid performances on the Asian Cup stage. India finished bottom of Group B, losing to Syria, Uzbekistan and Australia, while China finished third in Group A behind Qatar and Tajikistan. Their uninspired efforts speak to deep dysfunction within their respective soccer federations — lots of work must be done if either is to challenge big players like Japan, South Korea and Iran.
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