Current：Home > NewsPalestinian soccer team set for its first test at Asian Cup against three-time champion Iran -WealthMap Solutions
Palestinian soccer team set for its first test at Asian Cup against three-time champion Iran
Ethermac View
Date：2025-04-11 07:30:47
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The Palestinian soccer team gets its first test at the Asian Cup on Sunday, with its preparations having been made harder by no domestic soccer and limited opportunities to play competitive matches.
It faces three-time champion Iran in its opening game of the tournament, on the same day as the Israel-Hamas war reaches the 100-day mark.
“There has been very little football activity in Palestine for three months since the start of the war and this impacted us negatively, but we played friendlies abroad and qualifiers,” team captain Musab Battat said Saturday. “We want to put in good performances and get good results for our fans.”
Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos handed the honor of taking the pre-tournament oath to Battat at Friday’s opening ceremony in Lusail.
“As a captain, saying the pledge was a proud moment for me as a captain of Palestine,” Battat said.
His team lost 1-0 against Uzbekistan and drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia in warmup games this month. In November it lost 1-0 against Australia and drew 0-0 with Lebanon.
Despite that winless run, Battat spoke with confidence ahead of facing Iran.
“Our preparations went well, we are ready and fully aware of the size of the task at hand in this tournament. We are in good form at the moment and raring to go,” he said.
The Palestinian team’s coach Makram Daboub spoke of his desire to bring “joy for our people.”
“Iran are one of the best teams in the continent. They have a lot of top players and are a talented group,” he said. “It’s between them, (South) Korea and Japan for the title in my opinion.
“Recently we played very well against Australia, Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, so in one match we fancy our chances, and we can dream of going through to the next round.”
The United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong are also in Group C.
___
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
veryGood！ (5)
Related
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- West Virginia school system mandates religious training following revival assembly lawsuit
- NASA works to recover 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid sample from seven-year mission
- Captured: 1 of 4 inmates who escaped Georgia jail through cut fence arrested 50 miles away
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- Catalytic converter theft claims fell in first half of year, first time in 3 years, State Farm says
- 6 of 9 deputies charged in death of man beaten in Memphis jail plead not guilty
- 3 teens were shot and wounded outside a west Baltimore high school as students were arriving
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Five years later, trauma compounds for survivors marking Tree of Life massacre amid Israel-Hamas war
Ranking
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- NASA works to recover 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid sample from seven-year mission
- A roadside bomb kills 2 soldiers and troops kill 1 militant in northwest Pakistan
- Inmate suspected in prison attack on Kristin Smart’s killer previously murdered ‘I-5 Strangler’
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Jewish and Muslim chaplains navigate US campus tensions and help students roiled by Israel-Hamas war
- 2 Korn Ferry Tour golfers become latest professional athletes to be suspended for sports betting
- Maine city councilor's son died trying to stop mass shooting suspect with a butcher knife, father says
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
A 4-year-old fatally shot his little brother in Minnesota. The gun owner has been criminally charged
California dumping millions of sterile Medflies to help clear invasive species
Taylor Swift Slams Sexualization of Her Female Friendships in 1989 (Taylor's Version) Prologue
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
3 teens arrested as suspects in the killing of a homeless man in Germany
Police arrest 27 suspected militants in nationwide crackdown as Indonesia gears up for 2024 election
Rangers' Marcus Semien enjoys historic day at the plate in Simulated World Series