Asian Cup minnows make their mark to advance to last 16

DOHA – A 24-team Asian Cup can dilute the quality of the matches with only eight teams going home after the group stage, but for some of the less illustrious nations, it is a rare opportunity to show they belong at a major tournament.

Minnows Tajikistan, Palestine, Syria and Indonesia have all secured historic first knockout stage spots at the ongoing edition in Qatar, with the latter three all going through after finishing third in their groups.

Palestine qualified for the last 16 at their third attempt, winning an Asian Cup game for the first time when they beat Hong Kong 3-0 to advance on Jan 23, with the Palestinian players sinking to the turf in relief at the final whistle.

Despite a raging conflict with Israel back home in Gaza, where more than 25,000 people have been killed according to Palestinian health officials, the team have remained focused – even if they have friends and family affected by the war.

“This achievement will motivate and bring smiles, both inside and outside of Palestine,” said Palestine skipper Mus’ab Al Battat, following the win over Hong Kong which confirmed their spot in the next round.

“On the pitch, emotions were set aside as we believed in the group and team spirit.

“Delivering the right message, we showcased ourselves as capable players, proving that we deserve to be here. Our gratitude is extended to all our fans.”

Tournament debutants Tajikistan were the surprise package in the group stage. The Central Asian team qualified automatically for the knockouts when they finished second behind reigning champions Qatar in Group A.

Led by the charismatic and vocal Croatian coach Petar Segrt, Tajikistan found themselves on the ropes in their final group game against Lebanon before a rousing 2-1 comeback saw them advance with their first goals and first win at the Asian Cup.

“For us, it’s a big dream to go through. The first dream was to qualify and the second dream was to go into the second round. Now we dream again,” Segrt said.

“But we will go step by step, we must respect our opponents. Too much dreaming is not so good. I’m realistic and must stay realistic.”

Syria qualified for the knockout stages for the first time since their Asian Cup debut in 1980, leading to emotional scenes where even the interpreter for coach Hector Cuper could not hold back tears of joy during a post-match interview.

“We started with the dream of qualifying for the Asian Cup, which was followed by an ambition to make it to the round of 16,” said the 68-year-old Cuper, who felt similarly to Segrt.

“We know there are many big teams in this competition for whom that isn’t a big achievement. But, for us, it feels great and we will do what it takes to stay here for as long as possible.”

Indonesia, meanwhile, had to wait until Oman failed to qualify, with the South-east Asian team scraping through after exiting at the group stage four times previously.

“I coached one of the weakest teams among the 24 here in this tournament. Indonesia are ranked 146th but our performance was not the same as the ranking,” coach Shin Tae-yong said.

“We were the youngest team in the group and playing the best teams in Asia will help us keep improving.”

For the minnows, the dream starts now. REUTERS