Palestine World Cup dream over after heartbreaking draw with Oman
Leading until deep into injury time, the Palestinians looked set to write a new chapter in their footballing story – one built on resilience, unity, and defiance amid adversity. But with the clock showing 90+7, Issam Al Sabhi broke Palestinian hearts, coolly converting from the spot after Muhsen Al Ghassani was brought down inside the area.
The goal levelled the score, lifted Oman above Palestine into fourth place in Group B, and secured their passage to the fourth round of Asian qualifying. Palestine, in contrast, were left to reflect on what might have been.
For long stretches, it had all seemed within their grasp. Oday Kharoub's perfectly guided header four minutes into the second half had put Palestine ahead, his glancing effort from Adam Kaied's corner nestling into the top corner and igniting belief in the stands – albeit a home crowd cheering from exile, with the team again forced to play at a neutral venue due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Oman's task grew tougher when midfielder Harib Al Saadi received a second yellow card in the 73rd minute, reducing the visitors to 10 men. Yet it was they who found another gear in the dying embers of the contest.
The late penalty, awarded in contentious circumstances and was met with disbelief by the Palestinian players. But Al Sabhi showed none of that hesitation from the spot, calmly slotting past Rami Hamadi to silence the partisan crowd in the Jordanian capital.
The result leaves Palestine outside the qualification reckoning, while Oman now join UAE, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia in October's fourth round – two groups of three teams fighting for two remaining slots at the expanded 48-team tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada.
There was jubilation elsewhere in Asia as Australia secured their sixth consecutive World Cup appearance with a gutsy 2-1 away win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah. Tony Popovic's side needed only to avoid a heavy defeat but went one better, coming from behind in front of a hostile crowd at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
Abdulrahman Al Aboud gave Saudi Arabia the early lead, but goals from Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke, plus a late penalty save from captain Mathew Ryan, ensured a statement win for the Socceroos.
'We've built a good foundation now and we want to really get better, kick on and try and do something special at the World Cup,' said Popovic.
Group winners Japan, meanwhile, thrashed Indonesia 6-0 in Osaka in a match that showcased their attacking depth, with Crystal Palace forward Daichi Kamada scoring twice. Elsewhere, South Korea routed Kuwait 4-0 in Seoul, with Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain among the scorers, and captain Son Heung-min making a late cameo appearance as he continues to recover from injury.
In Group A, Iraq confirmed third place behind already-qualified Iran and Uzbekistan, defeating Jordan 1-0 in Amman. Despite the loss, the Jordanians can still celebrate a historic first appearance at a World Cup, having sealed qualification with a game to spare.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
11 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
England beat Spain in penalty shootout to win Euro 2025
Chloe Kelly converted the decisive kick as England beat Spain 3-1 on penalties to win the Women's Euro 2025 after Sunday's final had finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, allowing the Lionesses to avenge their defeat in the World Cup final of two years ago and retain their continental crown. It looked as though Spain would repeat their victory over England in Sydney two years ago as they dominated the game at St Jakob-Park in Basel and led through Mariona Caldentey's first-half header. But England did not panic, having already trailed against both Sweden in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semis before finding a way to win. Alessia Russo headed in their equaliser just before the hour mark, and no further goals meant a shoot-out in which Kelly -- who once again had a huge impact off the bench -- netted the winner. It was an agonising way to lose for Spain, but they failed to score three of their spot-kicks, with reigning Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati seeing her effort saved. Sarina Wiegman's England are therefore back-to-back European champions, with this triumph coming three years after they defeated Germany in extra time at Wembley to win a first women's major tournament. Defeating Spain here helps make up for the agony of losing that World Cup final in 2023, and the victory also confirms Wiegman's place among the coaching greats. She has now won three consecutive European Championships, having led her native Netherlands to victory in 2017 before doing the same with England three years ago. Spain, meanwhile, fell short in their quest to add a maiden European Championship title to the World Cup they won in Australia. La Roja dominated possession as expected, but ultimately paid the price for not putting the game to bed against an England side who never know when they are beaten. Wiegman's team had been 2-0 down against Sweden in the last eight before scoring twice to force extra time as they eventually won on penalties. Then substitute Michelle Agyemang's 96th-minute equaliser denied Italy in the semifinals in Geneva, when Kelly netted the winner in extra time. England had ultimately not played well during much of their run to the final, but it did not matter. Wiegman had taken a gamble on the fitness of Lauren James which paid off, but not quite as planned -- having come off with an ankle injury against Italy, the Chelsea winger did not last until half-time and was replaced by Kelly. By that point Spain were already in front, scoring when Bonmati and Athenea del Castillo combined to set up Ona Battle and her cross from the right was headed in by Caldentey. Montse Tome's Spain, with seven players from Barcelona in their starting line-up, had already been in control before that and it felt like England's best hope was for complacency from their opponents. The best example of that came with the game still goalless, when Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll played a careless short pass to Laia Aleixandri in her own area. Lauren Hemp was alive to the opportunity and pounced, but Coll reacted well to make the save. Yet even at 1-0 it felt like England were still in the game, and they took their chance when it came in the 57th minute when Kelly crossed from the left for her Arsenal teammate Russo to level the scores. England -- with more fans on their side in the crowd of 34,203 -- now sensed yet another comeback win was on the cards, and it took the fingertips of Coll to prevent a Kelly effort from finding the far corner midway through the second half. Agyemang then came on for Russo, hoping to once again play the role of super-sub, while Salma Paralluelo was among those brought on for Spain. Paralluelo found herself in a promising position on several occasions as the game continued into extra time, and from there to the gripping tension of penalties. Beth Mead's first kick for England was saved after she was forced to retake, and captain Leah Williamson also had her effort stopped by Coll. However, Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles both scored, while Patri Guijarro was the only successful taker for Spain before Kelly stepped up to win it.
The National
a day ago
- The National
Retegui, El Aynaoui and the glorious rise of multi-sport dynasties
The story is told of Mateo Retegui, who this week became the summer's costliest new arrival in Saudi Arabia's Pro League, that, but for a chance encounter with a persistent coach, he might never have become a footballer. Retegui had, well into his teens, turned his back on the game that would make him a superstar. To do so was perfectly logical, even if Retegui was an outstanding athlete, strong, fast and mobile and a young man with all the genetic gifts to pursue a life in sport. But his question was: Which sport? His background was steering him firmly in a particular direction, unavoidably for a kid whose family name, Retegui, is to field hockey in his native Argentina as the surname Maradona is to football. And not just the paternal name, either. Mateo's mother Maria was a junior national champion at hockey. Mateo's father, Carlos, meanwhile represented the country as a hockey player in three successive Olympics and went on to coach Argentina's men to a gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. He also oversaw the Argentinian women's silver medals at the 2012 and 2020 Olympics. Mateo's sister, Micaela, was part of the squad in Tokyo. And so it was that the male heir to this sporting dynasty – one that stretches even further back, to Juan Jose Retegui, Mateo's grandfather, an international at rowing and at rugby union – seemed set on a career with a curved stick and a hard ball. He had been good enough at football to have attracted the attention of the Buenos Aires superclub, Boca Juniors, as a schoolboy but at the moment he felt compelled to dedicate himself to one sporting code, the family game – hockey – seemed to be winning out. He started to be called up by national age-group teams. According to the former Boca Juniors scout, Diego Mazzilli, a chance encounter drew him back to football at 17, and although the journey from there would sometimes be tough – Retegui had spells at Boca and River Plate without making a significant impression – he says his loved ones' sporting expertise helped him persist. Another aspect of the family lineage turned out to be important, too – his mother's Italian ancestry. It meant he had an Italian passport as well as his Argentinian citizenship. While his native country never reached out to him to play up front for their world champions, Italy did. So he moved to Serie A, and after finishing last season as the division's top goalscorer with Atalanta, and taking his total caps as Italy's centre-forward up to 20, Al Qadsiah of the Saudi Pro League were persuaded to spend close to €70m on the 26-year-old. It has been a significant week for young footballers with great sporting forebears. About the same time the Retegui deal was being agreed, Italy's Roma were celebrating the capture of Moroccan midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, signed from France's Lens. Tennis fans will recognise the name. El Aynaoui also comes from a sporting dynasty which, like the Retegui line, follows an unusual zig-zag across different codes. Younes El Aynaoui was a pioneer for professional tennis in Africa and the Arab world in the 1990s and early 2000s, reaching a global ranking of 14th in the men's game. His son showed an aptitude on court as a boy. But, as Neil tells it, an influential period of his childhood spent living just outside Barcelona with his parents drew him to football. 'I was a great fan of Barca and especially of Andres Iniesta,' he said at his Roma presentation, explaining why he has chosen the Italian club's number eight jersey, Iniesta's number, for this chapter of his career. He thanked his family influences, too, for giving him the tools to thrive in professional sport, where having the right support, developing a strong armour to survive the fierce spotlight and the inevitable setbacks are essential. This is an era in which the elite tier of football is heavily populated with stars who come from footballing families – like Erling Haaland, whose father Alfie was a seasoned, much-travelled international, or the Thuram brothers, Marcus and Kephren, sons of World Cup winner Lilian – but it is also, seemingly, a peak time for the multi-sport dynasty. In this, Neil El Aynaoui will find he is not unique even in Serie A, nor in a likely Morocco midfield of the near future. Al Aynaoui, who is on the cusp of turning his national under-23 status into a senior call-up for the Atlas Lions, will in October come up against Fiorentina's Amir Richardson, the much admired Morocco international whose father is the former NBA basketball star Michael Ray Richardson. This weekend, meanwhile Moroccan football will be focused on another story of sporting excellence across generations, across disciplines, across gender, hoping for a fairytale ending. On Saturday in Rabat, the host country take on Nigeria in the final of the women's Africa Cup of Nations, aiming for an unprecedented first title in the competition, a maiden triumph for any North African side in a Wafcon, and to go one better than the silver medal Morocco achieved two years ago. Leading them on to the field will be the tournament's leading scorer, Ghizlane Chebbak, a pioneer for a sport that, in her 35-year lifetime has sometimes struggled to match the attention, the resource base of men's football. Each time that our family name is mentioned, he's also being mentioned Ghizlane Chebbak on father Larbi For Ghizlane, the distinctions between the men's game and the women's were viewed through a particular lens for as long as she can remember. Her father, Larbi, was a distinguished Morocco international. 'The first thing I learnt from my dad was a love of football,' she said just before leading Morocco into their first appearance at a World Cup finals, in 2023. 'The first present he gave me was a ball.' After Larbi's death, aged 73, five years ago, Ghizlane appreciated all the more that every success of hers would honour Larbi, too: 'Each time that our family name is mentioned, he's also being mentioned,' she noted. The echoes will be louder, more resonant than ever should Morocco's Lionesses win in Rabat. For all the aura that surrounds the national men's team, with its current stars like Achraf Hakimi and Yassine Bounou, Morocco have only ever won the men's Africa Cup of Nations once in their history. That was in 1976, when Larbi was running the Atlas Lions midfield. Almost half a century later, his daughter is 90 minutes from mounting the same podium.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
England seek revenge against Spain as rivals meet in Euro final
England are aiming to retain their title and avenge defeat at the hands of Aitana Bonmati's Spain in the Women's World Cup final of two years ago when the rivals meet again on Sunday to decide who will win Euro 2025. The showdown at St Jakob-Park in the Swiss city of Basel promises to be a fascinating contest between a Spain side looking to add the continental crown to their world title, and an England team who can secure back-to-back European Championship victories, and make up for the heartache of 2023 in the process. Spain beat England 1-0 in Sydney to win the World Cup for the first time, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal -- another victory for La Roja on Sunday would cement their status as the dominant force in women's international football. 'We have so much respect for them and the quality they have, but we also believe in ourselves, that we can really step up,' said England's Ella Toone on Friday. Toone, 25, scored the first goal for the Lionesses when they beat Germany 2-1 after extra time at Wembley to win the last Women's Euros three years ago, and has played a key role in Switzerland on their run to a third straight major tournament final. 'It is amazing. To make three consecutive finals for England is something that we can all be so proud of,' she said at the team's base in Zurich. That remarkable run has come under the management of Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch coach who took charge in 2021 and immediately turned them into contenders. 'She is a great manager, someone we all have a lot of belief in and we know we are in good hands. It is an unbelievable achievement for her,' added Toone of Wiegman, who also won the Euros with her native Netherlands in 2017. It has not been an easy road to the final for England this time, with the Lionesses coming back from the brink of elimination more than once. Their title defence started with a 2-1 defeat by France in their opening group game three weeks ago. The Lionesses recovered to reach the knockout stages by hammering the Netherlands and Wales, but then required a remarkable comeback from two goals down to eventually beat Sweden on penalties in the quarter-finals. They then trailed to Italy in the semi-finals in Geneva until a 96th-minute goal by Michelle Agyemang forced extra time, and Chloe Kelly scored the winner just as another shoot-out loomed. 'The belief in the squad, the resilience and the togetherness in this group is just so special,' said Kelly, who has made a big impact from the bench in the last two rounds. But it remains to be seen if that resilience will be enough against a brilliant Spain side led by reigning Ballon d'Or Bonmati. The Barcelona midfielder -- who was in hospital with viral meningitis just before the tournament started -- scored the extra-time winner as Spain edged Germany in the last four to reach a first ever European Championship final. 'All the hard work we have put in has paid off,' said coach Montse Tome, who took over from Jorge Vilda following the 2023 World Cup triumph. Spain could have as many as seven starters on Sunday who featured in that game in Sydney, including Alexia Putellas -- she was only a bit-part player at the World Cup as she recovered from a knee injury, but Bonmati's predecessor as Ballon d'Or winner has been much more influential here. The theme of revenge could also apply to the Spaniards, who were knocked out of the last Euros by England, going down in extra time in the quarter-finals. Just two months ago an Arsenal side featuring several members of Wiegman's current England squad defeated Barcelona in the final of the Women's Champions League. Seven of the players who started for Barcelona that day in Lisbon are likely to start for Spain on Sunday, including Bonmati and Putellas. If they come out on top they will be the first nation to win the Women's World Cup and Euros back-to-back since Germany in 2007 and 2009, and they can also follow in the footsteps of their men's counterparts -- Spain beat England in the final of the men's Euro last year. Agencies
