Palestine World Cup dream over after heartbreaking draw with Oman

The National

a day ago

Palestine's dreams of reaching a first World Cup were left in ruins on Tuesday night after a heartbreaking 1-1 draw with Oman in Amman extinguished their hopes of progressing to the final qualification phase for the 2026 tournament in North America.
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.