AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023/ Palestine Wins, Achieves Historic Qualification to Round of 16

Doha, January 23 (QNA) - The Palestinian football team has qualified for the round of 16 of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 following a 3-0 victory over Hong Kong on Tuesday at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in the final round of Group C. Oday Dabbagh scored two goals for the Palestinian team in the 12th and 60th minutes, and Zaid Qanbar netted in the 48th minute. The Palestinians raised their tally to four points in third place in Group C, securing a spot in the round of 16 among the four best third-placed teams in the six groups. The Palestinian team started the match in an ideal manner and extended towards the areas of the Hong Kong team, imposing a clear advantage through possession, successive access, and threatening the opponent's goal on many occasions. The Palestinian team trailed the second Emirati team by the margin of goals, while the Iranian team led the group by nine points, to reserve the two direct cards from the group to the second round, while the Hong Kong team remained in last place without points and left the championship. The victory is the first for the Palestine national team in its third participation in the continental tournament, and it is also the first qualification to the round of 16 after being eliminated from the group stage in the Australian 2015 and UAE 2019 editions. (QNA)