Palestinian striker Tamer Syam has said Monday’s historic Asian Cup Round of 16 match against hosts Qatar will be like a ‘celebration’ for fans of both teams.
According to AFP News, the Palestinian football team has reached the knockout round for the first time due to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Some Palestinian players have lost loved ones and some have families trapped in Gaza. Despite these conditions, the players trained and reached Qatar to play in the Asian Federation Cup.
Fans of other teams in Qatar are also raising their voices to support the Palestinian team.
The Palestine team qualified for the Round of 16 by defeating Hong Kong 0-3 after drawing 1-1 with the Emirates in their group.
The Palestine team will play the host team at the 68,000-capacity Al-Beit Stadium and it is a special ‘honor’ to have fans from other teams cheering them on.
The pressure will be high on the host Qatar team in the Round 16 match. Photo Qatar News Agency Tamer Syam, who scored the first goal for Palestine in the 4-1 defeat against Iran in the Asian Federation Cup, said that the match against Qatar will be like a ‘celebration’ but in reality, it is a match.
Earlier, the Palestine team opened the tournament with a defeat of Iran but drew with the United Arab Emirates before defeating Hong Kong.
They face a tough test against Qatar, Qatar has won matches against Lebanon, Tajikistan, and China in the group matches.
Will play openly in the match, anything is possible in 90 minutes. Photo Qatar News Agency On the other hand, Mukram Dabob, the coach of the Palestine team, says that the pressure will be more on the host Qatar team in this match, while we have achieved the goal of reaching the round of 16 and there is no pressure on our team.
The Palestinian coach added that in the match we will play openly and try our best to deliver, anything possible in 90 minutes.
Qatar have previously won 10 consecutive matches at the Asian Cup, including all seven matches in 2019 when they lifted the trophy for the first time.
