DOHA, 18th January, 2024 (WAM) -- Ten-man United Arab Emirates held on to earn a 1-1 draw against Palestine in Group C of the second round of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 at Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.
Having been reduced to 10 men after 37 minutes, the UAE sat deep and defended resiliently and goalkeeper Khaled Eisa delivered a Man of the Match performance against an avalanche of Palestinian attacks, with the Whites taking their tally to four points, while Palestine got their first point of the campaign.
The first goal of the night arrived midway through the opening period through Sultan Adil who lost his marker and rose highest to head home Ali Saleh’s cross from the right flank, the 19-year-old getting his second AFC Asian Cup goal, having also opened the scoring against Hong Kong, China.
Having started on the bench in the first match, forward Oday Dabbagh was a constant menace to the Emirati defence, and his efforts produced a penalty for Palestine after he was brought inside the box by Khalifa Al Hammadi. Following a VAR check, the referee also brandished a red card for Al Hammadi.
Palestine was awarded a penality in the 39th minute, but the effort from the PT Prachuap forward who had scored Palestine’s only goal against Iran was impeccably saved by UAE goalkeeper Khaled Eisa.
Five minutes after the restart, the Emirati defence yielded under the pressure and Palestine got their equaliser when a whipped Seyam cross from the left was inadvertently headed by defender Bader Nasser into his own net.
Both teams end their group stage on Tuesday, with the UAE facing Iran at Education City Stadium while Palestine play Hong Kong, China at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in the simultaneous kick-off.