“If we advance to the World Cup finals, it will be a great hope for the Palestinian people.”
The first match of the third round of the World Cup qualifiers will be held at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 PM on the 5th.
Palestine national football team coach Makram Daboub, who will play his first match of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup third qualifying round against Hong Myung-bo, has named Son Heung-min (Tottenham) as the player he must be most wary of.
Palestine will play its first match against Korea in the third round of the North and Central American World Cup Asian qualifiers at 8 p.m. on the 5th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Coach Dabub, who appeared at a press conference the day before the match, said, “Tomorrow we will play against Korea, the best team in Asia. Korea is a team that has advanced to the World Cup 10 times in a row. They have many excellent players.”
He added, “We have a big dream and ambition to advance to the World Cup finals. This is our first time advancing to the Asian third round of qualifiers, but we will work hard to achieve our dream.”
When asked about Korea’s weaknesses after taking over as coach for the first time in 10 years, Hong Myung-bo laughed and said, “I can’t say it’s a secret.”
He also showed his determination by saying, “There are many excellent players in Korea. Among them, I am most wary of Son Heung-min. However, we are a team that plays with teamwork. We will block players like Son Heung-min with fighting spirit, passion, and teamwork.”
Palestine is in turmoil due to the war between the armed group Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip that has been going on for nearly a year.
The second leg of the third qualifying round, which is to be held at home, will also be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a third country, not Palestine.
Coach Dabub emphasized, “Just advancing to the third qualifying round is a big goal, but if we make it to the finals through the third qualifying round, it will be a great hope for the Palestinian people.”
After the 0-5 defeat to Australia in the final match of the 2nd preliminary round, which was held in June after the 3rd preliminary round was confirmed, he expressed confidence by saying, “We gave a chance to the non-regular players when the 3rd preliminary round was already confirmed, and that’s how the result came about,” and “However, this match against Korea will be a completely different match.”
Palestine’s best weapon is considered to be European-bred striker Wessam Abu Ali (Al-Ahli).
He played for the Danish national team at age levels before being called up by the Palestine Football Association in March and making his debut for Palestine in the second round of the World Cup qualifier against Lebanon in June.
Abu Ali said, “I have only recently joined Palestine, but it feels like a family atmosphere. My colleagues take good care of me. If we make it through the third round, it will bring happiness to the suffering Palestinian people.”
He continued, “The match against Korea will be difficult. However, soccer is a 90-minute game, so if we prepare well tactically and do our best, we will be able to achieve good results. We will try to get three points.”
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2024-09-05 04:11:35