Rapid Reaction: Kuwait 0:2 Palestine (2026 World Cup qualifier)

A gritty win in the heat of humidity of Kuwait City keep Palestine's comeback campaign alive.

Palestine Starting XI: Rami Hamadi, Musab Al-Battat, Milad Termanini, Amid Mahajna, Ahmed Taha (Wajdi Nabhan75’) ; Odai Kharoub, Ataa Jaber (Agustín Manzur 8’), Adam Kaied (Mohammed Hebous 60’); Tamer Seyam (Zaid Qunbar 60’), Oday Dabbagh (Assad Al-Hamlawi 75’); Wessam Abou Ali.

Cautions: Tamer Seyam 53’ Oday Kharoub 83’

Goals: Tamer Seyam 32’, Wessam Abou Ali (p) 88’

Recap: At kick off Palestine was certain of one thing. They controlled their own destiny courtesy of Jordan returning the favour Palestine did them against Iraq in March.

Jordan’s 3-0 win in Muscat also gave hope to Kuwait who would still be alive if they could find a way to beat Palestine.

This game was not a classic by any means. Palestine’s hopes of a routine victory were dashed when midfield maestro Ataa Jaber was hauled off with an ankle injury after just eight minutes. That meant an early debut for Agustín Manzur whose presence in camp was kept secret by the national team staff until the wee hours of Thursday evening.

Palestine’s first signal of intent came in the 20th minute through Wessam Abou Ali. Substitute Manzur took a free kick quickly and linked up with Al-Ahly forward whose shot was saved brilliantly by Khaled Al-Rashidi.

Twelve minutes later Palestine had their goal- Oday Dabbagh broke the offside trap latched onto a lofted ball, then bamboozled two Kuwaiti defenders before crossing the ball to the onrushing Tamer Seyam who looped it past his marker and the goalkeeper.

Palestine could breathe a sigh of relief and the first half which was elongated by an absurd ten minutes of injury time petered out.

Oday Dabbagh had a chance to double the lead early in the second half after being teed up by Abou Ali but his shot was well over the bar.

For their part, Kuwait did not give up and although their possession was sterile they did manage to win a series of corner kicks. The feeling in the Stadium that Palestine desperately needed an insurance goal.

Oday Dabbagh cramped up just as he was about to shoot in the game’s final third which necessitated a double substitution as left back Ahmed Taha was also struggling.

Three minutes after the changes- Palestine suffered their biggest scare. Mohammed Daham streaked behind the Palestinian defence and seemed to have the goal at his mercy only for Rami Hamadi to deny him an equalizer.

An insurance goal did come- ten minutes afterwards- when Zaid Qunbar was hacked inside the box. Bizarrely enough this clear foul was not caught by the Tajik ref who was summoned to the VAR monitor for review.

Penalty confirmed. Wessam Abou Ali dispatched it coolly down the middle and a mixture of relief and celebration ensued.

Palestine would not be let off easily as the refereeing crew deemed it was appropriate to play thirteen minutes of injury time. Rami Hamadi was called into action again to protect the lead making an excellent double save.

There were chances for Palestine to add a third- which ultimately did not materialize. When the final whistle sounded the players fell to the pitch having won the second of their three straight finals.

A win-or-go-home encounter awaits Al-Fida’i who have the look of the side that does not know when it is beaten.

What I liked: “Finals are not played, they are won” -Alfredo di Stefano, winner of five straight European Cups with Real Madrid proclaimed back in the 1950s. Palestine’s Football Association labelled the final three games as finals, and Palestine has now won two of them.

Qualification for a World Cup is not sexy. It will not produce the most fluid football and without a home field advantage it will rarely produce a dominant performance.

Fans might whinge about the missed chances from Abou Ali or Dabbagh but the forwards combined to produce five clearances and put in a shift defensively. That type of grunt work makes the difference in international football.

Palestine won. They hung in this game when things got tough. They did not panic and when the chances came their way they found a way to convert.

What I didn’t like: I am not sure Adam Kaied is ready to be a starter- I understand why he was deployed and I admire the courage to go for it but playing Zeidan or Hemdan against Oman and then using Kaied as a super sub might be a better use of his skill set.

Man of the Match: The Asian Football Confederation gave it to Wessam Abou Ali. I think it has to go to Rami Hamadi whose save on Mohammed Daham was the turning point of the game.

What’s Next: Palestine travels to Amman and will host Oman on Tuesday, June 10th. Oman needs only a draw to advance to Round 4 whilst Palestine needs a win. Kickoff is set for 21:15 Jerusalem time.