Palestine 1 - East Timor 1: Late goal keeps Palestine's World Cup dreams alive

The Palestinian National team traveled to Dili, East Timor this week to continue their long road to World Cup qualification. East Timor may not sound like a football powerhouse, but the recent influx of Brazilians on the team has elevated the country to a period of unprecedented success. The first half was slow with very little action other than Palestine hitting the crossbar. The second half was far more exiting, with the East-Timoreans putting more and more pressure on the Palestinian goal. At the fifty fourth minute, sloppy Palestinian defending and a lack of concentration by Palestinian goalkeeper Toufic Ali resulted in Ramon Saro, one of the nationalized Brazilians, scoring an easy header. The Palestinians did not give up hope, and continually attacked the Timorean goal. One of the best chances of the game came from Imad Zatara, the avid Palestinian goal scorer playing his trade in Sweden, completely missing the goal from less than ten yards out. The attacking combination of Mahmoud Eid and Matias Jadue allowed for several more chances to be created, but the finishing was just not there. When it seemed all but over, one final push resulted in Ahmed Abu Nayeh scoring a last minute equalizer and forcing the game to a tie. Take nothing away from East Timor, who played a fantastic game and seemed like a completely different team than the one who were annihilated by Saudi Arabia last month, the Palestinians did not play as well as they should have. Palestinian coach Abdel- Nasser Barakat's tactics do not seem to be paying off as Palestine have only taken 2 points from the last two games. If Palestine have any real chance to taking the second place spot and being in the running to make it to the next round, they must get their act together with the remaining four games. They currently sit in the third place of Group A, two points behind the UAE who succumbed to a narrow loss to the Saudis. Saudi Arabia seem to have the group under their control, but the last four games could tell a different story. Special recognition must go out to East Timor for playing a solid match and making Palestine really fight for the point. East Timorean football hasn't looked this promising since A Barefoot Dream  .

Matias Jadue, the Chilean born striker, battles for the ball during Palestine's first competitive home game in over three years. It was a relatively positive result which ended with a 0-0 tie with the UAE. 

Next up, Palestine face a tough Saudi Arabian side who seem set to take first place in the group. Although originally scheduled to be played three days after the match with East Timor, the match against Saudi Arabia has been postponed due to a seemingly unavoidable political conflict. In short, the Saudi Arabian government refuses to recognize Israel and therefor refuse to enter the country, which is the only possible way to enter Palestinian territories. Although the PFA provided Saudi Arabia with alternatives such as the use of helicopters to enter Palestine, the Saudis continually refuse. Usually, refusal to play results in a forfeit and subsequent 3-0 loss, however FIFA has not gone this route but has instead have been playing to Saudi interests. The game has been indefinitely  postponed until an ultimatum can be reached, most likely where the game will have to be played on a neutral ground. Saudi Arabia's  antics are nothing new and they continually refuse Palestine their right to play on home soil in front of thousands of excited fans. There are both positive and negative implications with the postponement of the game. On a positive note, the Palestinians have avoided having to play a very exhausting Saudi team in such a short amount of time after their last game. However, the uncertainty on when the next game will be is detrimental to Palestine's foreign based players, coming from Chile, Sweden, and Slovenia. One can only hope the argument is solved quickly and FIFA upholds Palestine's right to play on home soil.

With four games in and four to go, these are the current standings in Group A. 

Although Palestine's chances of World Cup qualification are very slim, the national team provides a source of pride for thousands of Palestinians, especially with the recent outbreak of violence spreading throughout the country. Recent claims of the "Third Intifada" being underway promises nothing but mass killings and uncontrolled violence. As a Palestinian, I hope to see the team playing on home soil and recreating the absolutely wild scenes from the UAE game a month ago. Best of luck to the Palestinian national team, and the other football minnows trying to reach their ultimate destination, a spot at Russia 2018.  

Highlights from the East Timor Game: