Palestine’s Brave Arab Cup Journey Ends in 2-1 Extra-Time Loss to Saudi Arabia:

Palestine’s historic journey at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 came to an emotional end after a 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in extra time. The quarterfinal match was played on Thursday at Lusail Stadium, and it kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very last minute. The winning moment came in the 115th minute when Mohamed Kanno scored with a low, stooping header. His goal finally broke the 1-1 tie and sent Saudi Arabia into the semifinals. They will now face either Jordan or Iraq, who play on Friday. Earlier in the match, Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 58th minute. Firas Al-Buraikan calmly scored from the penalty spot after Salem Al-Dawsari was brought down in the box by Mohammed Saleh. Al-Buraikan sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a smooth left-footed shot. But Palestine did not give up. Only six minutes later, Oday Dabbagh produced a moment of real quality. He controlled a long ball from the right wing with his left foot, then fired a powerful shot with his right almost immediately. The strike flew past the keeper, bringing Palestine level and sending their fans into celebration. The first half had been very tight, with both sides struggling to create clear chances. Saudi Arabia had more control of the ball and more shots, but only one shot in the entire half was on target. One of the most dangerous moments came when Al-Dawsari made a strong run into the box and sent a cross that the Palestine goalkeeper, Rami Hamada, pushed away. Al-Buraikan was close to scoring from the rebound, but defender Hamed Hamdan made a lifesaving toe poke to stop him. Hamdan also had Palestine’s best chance of the first half, but his shot from the edge of the box sailed over the bar. Saudi Arabia almost retook the lead later in the match when Ali Majrashi fired a powerful shot from outside the box that clipped the top of the crossbar. There was another scare for Palestine when Kanno scored in added time, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Moments later, the referee awarded Saudi Arabia another penalty for handball against Saleh. However, VAR reviewed the play and overturned the decision, ruling that the defender’s arm was hit accidentally while sliding to block the ball. Extra time was full of tension, but Saudi Arabia finally found the breakthrough when Kanno scored the winning header. Palestine still had one last chance in the final seconds, when Dabbagh attempted a difficult volley, but the shot went over and the match ended. Despite the loss, Palestine’s run in the tournament was historic. They had already made headlines earlier in the year by reaching the AFC Asian Cup knockout stage for the first time, and their performance in the Arab Cup won them even more support and admiration. Earlier in the day, Morocco booked their place in the semifinals with a 1-0 win over Syria. Walid Azaro scored the only goal in the 79th minute, and even though Mohamed Moufid was sent off in injury time, Morocco held on for the victory.

SPORT