Palestine players and officials celebrate after the victory yesterday
Palestine produced the best show of the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 qualifiers so far as they came from behind to thrash Comoros 5-1, sending their fans into raptures at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, yesterday.
After conceding an early goal, Palestine scored two goals in the first half and added three in the final session to storm into Group C of the Arab Cup where there will face Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Moussa Djoumoi took Comoros ahead in the fifth minute and following a calm display in the next half hour, Palestine opened the floodgates with a ruthless performance.
Layth Kharoub found equaliser in the 35th minute following a free kick before Oday Dabbagh scored a stunning leftfooted shot seven minutes later, leaving no chance for goalkeeper Moyadh Ousseni. Palestinians entered the second half with more confidence, with Tamer Seyam scoring a brace (56’ and 72’) to take proceedings beyond Comoros reach.
Islam Batran completed the drubbing nine minutes before time after taking advantage of lax defending. Thrilling action on the cards in Bahrain, Kuwait clash The final play-off tonight will pit Gulf rivals Bahrain and Kuwait as they seek a place in the main round of the first FIFA Arab Cup. The winner of the match will enter Group A which also includes hosts Qatar, Iraq and Oman.
Ranked 98 in the world, Bahrain, who are 50 places above Kuwait in the FIFA standings, will start as favourites but much will depend on which side click in the match. Bahrain, who won two maiden titles in 2019 within the space of five months – the West Asian Football Federation Championship in Iraq and the Arabian Gulf Cup in Qatar - have enjoyed good progress at international stage in recent years.
On the other hand, the first Arab country from Asia to qualify for a World Cup in Spain in 1982 – Kuwait – are the most successful side in the Gulf. They won AFC Asian Cup title as hosts in 1980 and are the most decorated team in Arabian Gulf Cup history, winning the title 10 times.
However, both the teams are entering the match after failing to qualify for the next year’s FIFA World Cup, hoping to seal berth in the Arab Cup. “We are disappointed because of our exit from the World Cup qualifiers and we want to make amends and qualify for the Arab Cup,” Bahrain coach Hélio Sousa told a virtual news conference . “The two teams know each other well and this match is going to be tough,” he added.
For Kuwait coach Thamer Enad, tonight’s match is going to be a battle of nerves. “The match will be more psychological than technical. The two teams are similar but Bahrain will enter the match having better chance of winning,” he said yesterday.
Tonight's match will cap seven-match qualification, completing the line-up for the first FIFA Arab Cup that will be played from November 30 to December 18 in Qatar
