Iran U23 3:0 Palestine U23 (2016 Olympic Qualifying)

Fadi Zidan with Palestine's best chance of the game. 

Palestine's qualifying hopes were dealt a killer blow with a 3-0 reverse at the hands of Group C hosts Iran on Friday. The day started off well enough for Palestine with Afghanistan scoring a shock 0-0 draw of Saudi Arabia. That result meant Palestine could conceivably hope for second place in the group with a draw against Team Melli provided the Iranians registered victories against the rest of the field.

Palestine entered the game with three changes to their starting eleven against Saudi Arabia Mohammed Yamin replaced Hani Naboulse while Yousef Al-Ashhab was tasked with providing extra cover in midfield in place of Mahmoud Abuwarda. The other change saw Oday Kharoub make way for the speedier Mohammed Abu Asfour.

Full Highlights and more after the jump...



Palestine's approach allowed them to keep Iran honest but their midfield wasn't strong enough to shield their defense from being exploited by key passes courtesy of (the younger, unrelated) Ali Karimi. In response, Barakat made sure his team sat deeper and the complexion of the match became more predictable, with Palestine happy to cede possession in midfield and breaking with vigor through the likes of Abu Asfour and Zidan.

Iran did find a way past Palestine's backline multiple times thanks to the speed of Serdar Azmoun. When he wasn't creating chances himself- he was teeing up teammates. Milad Kamadani probably should have put the hosts ahead fifteen minutes in but all other attacks were thwarted brilliantly by Rami Hamada.

At the break all was going to plan for Palestine with the scores level at 0-0.

The second half could not have gotten off to a worse start with Palestine conceding just three minutes in. A free kick resembling a mini-corner was played in and confusion between Rami Hamada and his defenders allowed Serdar Azmoun to ghost in for an easy finish.

For all their efforts, Palestine could not find a way to equalize- Fadi Zidan's effort was brilliantly saved by Mohammedreza Akhbari. Abu Asfour amazing bicycle kick almost tied things up with a quarter of an hour left, but the rasping shot just whizzed over the crossbar.

On 80 minutes, Rami Hamada's allowed a weak cross to slip just below under his body, Arsalan Motahhari capitalized and made in 2-0 with a simple tap in.

Palestine's bizzare run of penalties being awarded against them by Arab referees was stretched to four consecutive games in injury time. Jordanian referee Mohammed Abu Luom awarded Iran a penalty after Rami Hamada caught Motahari with an errant punch in the area.

Motahari stepped up to make it 3-0 but was forced to take the penalty again after encroachment was called. Hamada nearly saved the second effort but in the end Palestine were left to deal with a rather harsh scoreline given how expertly they dispatched Abdel Nasser Barakat's strategy.

Palestine wrap up their qualifying campaign on Tuesday against Nepal but can finish no higher than third place after Saudi Arabia's 6-0 win over the same opponent.

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Palestine U23 0:1 Saudi Arabia U23 (2016 Olympic Qualifying)

Palestine's Starting XI vs. Saudi Arabia. 

After securing a 2-0 win against Afghanistan in their AFC U23 Championship qualification opener, Palestine had an opportunity to go top of Group C with a draw or win over their Saudi counterparts.

For the majority of the action on Wednesday, it seemed that Al-Fida'i would be able to do just that. Abdel-Nasser Barakat reshuffled his lineup with Oday Kharoub and Hani Naboulse replacing Mohammed Asfour and Osama Al-Sabah.

The apparent aim of exploiting Saudi Arabia on the counter  was implemented perfectly by the players. So much so that Saudi Arabia was forced into their first change just 34 minutes through, Abdel Majeed Al-Suwailam coming on for the overwhelmed Rayyan Al-Musa.

More after the jump...



The tactical switch helped settle Saudi Arabia in midfield, who were looking vulnerable despite their superior possession ratio.

Palestine attacked mainly through Taraji Wadi Al-Nes's Fadi Zidan and Mahmoud Abu Warda. The former won a free kick for the latter in the 50th minute with the young Abu Warda smashing his effort off the crossbar.

As the game petered out it seemed that neither side was going to find a winner. Palestine did an excellent job of limiting space while allowing possession and when needed Rami Hammada and his backline proved more than capable at repelling any attack.

Palestine were cruelly denied a deserved point three minutes from the end of regulation. Rami Hamadeh's intervention was wrongly adjudged to be a foul by Omani linesman Rashid Al-Ghaithi.

Saudi skipper Abdullah Madu stepped up to take the penalty and he calmly dispatched it to Hamadeh's left.

The incident marks the third straight time Palestine has had a penalty awarded against them by an Arab Referee in a competitive fixture.

Palestine had two penalties awarded against them at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Qatari Abdulrahman Mohamad pointed to the spot after Shinji Kagawa went down in the box under minimal contact.   Against Iraq, an even softer penalty was awarded (even Justin Meram- the player adjudged to have been fouled seemed embarrassed) by Emirati referee Mohammad Abdulla.

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Palestine U23 2:0 Afghanistan U23 (2016 Olympic Qualifying)

Tehran, Iran - Palestine's Olymic team secured an important three points in their attempt to qualify for the AFC U23 Championship in Qatar next year and stay alive in Olympic qualifying. Al-Fida'i 2-0 win over Afghanistan opened Group C action on the Shahid Dastegerdi Stadiun in Tehran. Goals were scored by Mahmoud Abu Warda (7') and Mahmoud Sheikhqasem (75').

The result gave Palestine temporary control of the group but are now second, behind Iran, who dismantled Nepal 5-0 later in the day.



The team performed well against Afghanistan, in front of a partisan crowd of around 10,000 who were pulling for the Lions of Khorosan. The first half was marked by Palestine's missed opportunities, they managed to repeatedly attack the Afghan goal after a buoyant start for the de facto home team.

Mahmoud Abu Warda opened the scoring in the seventh minute following a direct free kick placed to the left of the Afghan goalkeeper.

The same player nearly doubled the scoring minutes later meeting an inch perfect cross from Abdallah Jaber only to see the shot fizz past the near post.

Mohammad Asfour also got into the action as well taking advantage of some clever interplay from Mohammed Mara'aba and Fadi Zidan.

Striker Afghanistan Pervez Kazemi almost equalized 25 minutes through only for goalkeeper Rami Hamada to excellently parry the shot away.

10 minutes later Palestine had won a penalty through Abdallah Jaber who was brought down by Syed Mohammad in the box. The Afghan defender received a yellow for his troubles but goalkeeper Baktash Yehya saved Osama Al-Sabah's penalty by diving to his right. .

In the 38th minute, Abdullah Jaber found Abu Warda again, only for the player to chip a powerful header over the crossbar.

Before the half, the two teams exchanged blows with Afghanistan forcing Rami Hamada into a save while Fadi Zidan responded with a set piece opportunity that flew over the crossbar by only the narrowest of margins.

Palestine entered the second half intending to attack further with a powerful shot from Musab al-Battat excellently saved by goalkeeper Yahya.

Fadi Zidan and Mohammed Mara'aba launched another attack in midfield that ended with Mara'aba firing over. Manager Abdel-Nasser Barakat, threw on Uday Kharoub in place of Osama Al-Sabah in the 55th minute.

Newcomer Mohammed Abo-Shark made his official debut for Palestine in the 63rd minute replace Fadi Zidan in the 63rd minute.

Palestine doubled their lead in the 75th minute through Sheikhqasem whose powerful shot deflected off a defender and past a helpless Yahya.

Palestine now face their Saudi counterparts on Wednesday at 10:30 GMT knowing full well that a similar result could boost their qualification chances. 

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Manisaspor's Mohamed Abo-Shark joins Olympic Team

Abo Shark at Manisaspor's training ground

In a positive sign towards talent development the PFA has secured the services of 21-year old, Sweden born, Mohamed Abo-Shark. After rising through the ranks of Landskrona, Abo-Shark dropped down a division to play with Torns last season.

This January, Abo Shark sealed a move to Turkey after spending some time on trial at various clubs. He's currently part of Manisaspor's youth setup but is highly rated by the coaching staff who see him developing into a good player.

Abo Shark can play as an advanced midfielder or forward and should provide an added level of tenacity to Palestine's attack during the AFC U23 Championship qualifiers next week. 

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Taraji Wadi Al-Nes look to continue good form in AFC Cup

With two out of six group matches already in the books, Taraji has found a way to avoid defeat at the death in spectacular circumstances.

Their debut against Al-Jazira (JOR) saw them go down a goal in the first half but an equalizer seemed to be on the cards. The Kuwaiti referee turned down no less than four penalty appeals before 36 year-old Samih Yousef Abuhammad stepped up in injury time:

The true litmus test for this team was always going to be how they would cope away from home. Initially, signs were less than positive. Taraji were a goal down less than five minutes into their game vs. Al-Hadd but with the last kick of the game, another member of the Abuhammad clan stepped up. 19 year-old Hazem capitalized on a goalkeeping mistake to ensure that Taraji would have every chance of reaching the knockout stage.

Check out the Olimpico goal, here.

Remarkably, Hazem Abuhammad's goal continued Palestine's undefeated streak in Bahrain. No Palestinian team has ever lost in Bahrain at the Senior or Olympic level.

Taraji Wadi Al-Nes will look to continue their good run of form when they face Al-Shorta (IRQ) tomorrow in Doha. Al-Shorta are top of the table in Iraq but might lack match fitness due to intermittent nature of league play in Iraq. With all four teams locked on two points, it's anyone's guess how the group will turn out. 

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Barakat Announces squad for upcoming Olympic qualifiers

Palestine will look to recapture the form that helped them win their group at the 2014 Asian Games.

Olympic Team manager Abdel-Nasser Barakat announced a 24-man roster for upcoming qualifying tournaments. Asia has been awarded three berths for Rio 2016 with the three top finishers at the AFC U23 Championship punching their tickets to Brazil.

Palestine have been drawn against Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nepal, and Afghanistan in Group C. The second seed in the group, Iran, will host all group games set to take place from March 23-31.

Palestine kicks off proceedings against Afghanistan on the 23d before facing Saudi Arabia two days later. Al-Fida'i have a bye on the 27th before a crucial encounter against the hosts on the 29th before wrapping up group play against Nepal on the 31st.

The ten group winners alongside the five best runners up will join Qatar in qualifying for the AFC U23 Championship set to be held next January.

The side will face their South African counterparts in a friendly tuneup in Hebron (Saturday, March 14th, 4 PM).

Full squad after the jump...

Goalkeepers 

Rami Hammadi (Shabab Al-Khader), Ramzi Al-Fakhuri (Thaqafi Tulkarem), Ameen Al-Darawish (Shabab Dora)

Defenders 

Yazan Al-Awaiwi, Yousef Al-Ashab (both Shabab Al-Khaleel), Alaa Badran (Thaqafi Tulkarem), Hazem Abdullah (Taraji Wadi Al-Nes), Ameed Makharzeh (Shabab Al-Dhahrieh), Ahmed Al-Zariqi (Asker), Mus'ab Al-Battat (Shabab Al-Dhahrieh), Ibrahim Jalayta (Hilal Jericho), Abduallah Jaber (Hilal Al-Quds) 

Midfielders 

Osama Al-Sabah (Thaqafi Tulkarem), Mahmoud Abu Wardeh (Balata), Mohamed Al-Hafi, Oday Kharoub (both Silwan), Mohamed Yameen (Islami Qalqilya), Mahmoud Sheikhqasem (Al-Am'ary), Omar Al-Sawaiti (JSM) 

Forwards

Mohammed Mar'aba (Shabab Al-Khader), Mohammed Al-Karaki (Shabab Al-Khaleel), Mohammed Asfour (Al-Am'ary), Islam Batran (Yatta), Oday Kharoub (Silwan), Fadi Zidan (Taraji Wadi Al-Nes)، Mohhammed Khalil (Al-Bireh)

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Palestine U23s set to face South Africa in Hebron

Palestine last played host to South Africa in 2011.

Palestine's Olympic squad have secured a date with their South Africa counterparts ahead of Olympic qualifying. Al-Fida'i will face the Bafana Bafana in Hebron as they prepared to tangle with Asian heavyweights Iran and Saudi Arabia in an attempt to qualify for the AFC U-23 Championship in January 2016. The top three finishers in that tournament will qualify for the Olympics in Rio later that year.


Rounding out Group C are Afghanistan and Nepal who bookend Palestine's four matches in Iran.



More after the Jump...

Palestine last faced South Africa in November 2011. A pair of unofficial friendlies between an all WBPL team and South Africa's developmental side saw plenty of tinkering and two 1-1 draws. The friendlies marked the start of the Jamal Mahmoud era who parlayed a competent display there to a friendly win over Bahrain in December and a fourth place finish at the Pan Arab Games.

Former Orlando Pirates boss Owen Da Gama has called up 23 players for this encounter slated for March 14th and a 4 PM kickoff.

South Africa will continue onwards to Khartoum after their trip to Palestine where they will kickoff All-Africa qualifying against Sudan. South African youth squads have excelled as of late at the continental level and the Rainbow Nation is hoping those players can make the jump into the U23 side which will feature quite a few new faces. 

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