Palestine Record First Ever Win At AFC Asian Cup To Reach Knockout Round

Palestine won a game at the AFC Asian Cup for the first time ever by beating Hong Kong 3-0. Palestine finished third in Group C and qualified for the last 16.

Palestine won a game at the AFC Asian Cup for the first time ever on Tuesday by beating Hong Kong 3-0.

Two Oday Dabbagh goals and one from Zeid Qunbar saw Palestine end their Group C campaign on a high.

Hong Kong had a chance to score a late consolation goal but Everton Camargo hit the crossbar from a 99th-minute penalty kick.

Palestine finished behind Iran and the United Arab Emirates but will progress to the round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.

Group C concludes with Iran 🇮🇷 leading the table, while UAE 🇦🇪 and Palestine 🇵🇸 qualify alongside them for the next round#AsianCup2023 #HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/IjHfPGxLzH

— AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024™ (@Qatar2023en) January 23, 2024

Two Palestine players and a member of coaching staff pictured celebrating after Tuesday's 3-0 win over Hong Kong at the AFC Asian Cup :: IMAGO/Sebastian Frej

Tuesday's game was only Palestine's ninth outing at an AFC Asian Cup.

The West Asian side lost all three of their games at the 2015 tournament in Australia and then took just two points from three matches in the UAE four years later.

Palestine were thrashed 4-1 by Iran in their Group C opener earlier this month, before picking up their first point of the campaign in a 1-1 draw with the UAE last week.

Highlights: Hong Kong 0-3 Palestine

PALESTINE TAKE THE LEAD AGAINST HONG KONG IN THE ASIAN CUP! 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/RsRGAXREcr

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 23, 2024

PALESTINE HAVE A SECOND! 💪

They look to advance to their FIRST-EVER major tournament knockout stage. 😤 pic.twitter.com/xmLa7LCpa9

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 23, 2024

Palestine are well on their way to winning their first-ever AFC Asian Cup match AND advancing to the knockout stage. 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/7Almi8Xq2P

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 23, 2024

EVERTON CAMARGO HITS THE BAR! 😱

Palestine take the 3-0 victory and have a high likelihood of advancing to the AFC Asian Cup KO stage for the first time, pending tomorrow's results. pic.twitter.com/JzTpLFoqLi

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) January 23, 2024