In a tightly contested Asian Cup Group C match at Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday, Palestine secured a 1-1 draw against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sultan Adil opened the scoring for the UAE with a leaping header in the 23rd minute, but their hopes of an easy contest were dashed when Khalifa Al-Hammadi received a red card for a foul on Palestine forward Oday Dabbagh.
Al-Hammadi was sent off after a VAR review for holding and pulling down Dabbagh in the box. Despite being down to 10 men, UAE goalkeeper Khalid Eisa saved a tame penalty from Palestine’s Tamer Seyam. However, Palestine capitalized on the numerical advantage, equalizing five minutes into the second half when Bader Abaelaziz inadvertently headed a cross into his own net.
Despite the extra man advantage, Palestine couldn’t secure their first win in the Asian Cup since 2015. UAE maintains their lead in Group C with four points, while Palestine sits in third place with one point. Iran, in second place with three points, will face bottom-side Hong Kong (no points) on Friday.
