Palestine’s Balata carry the hope and joy of a nation into final AFC Cup group round

May 26 – Palestine’s Markaz Balata, the team that from the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank that won the country’s national league in 2019 and carried the nation’s hopes into the AFC Cup , are on the verge of creating more football history.

With one game left to play in AFC Cup West Zone group rounds, Balata are on equal points with their other three group rivals. A win in their final group match against Jordan’s Al Salt would guarantee them a top two group finish. The three group winners and the best second placed team from the three groups will advance to the AFC Cup (West) Zonal semi-finals. Balata are in with a chance.

The AFC Cup is the confederation’s second tier club competition that was postponed in 2020 when the pandemic struck.

Balata have had to wait for their AFC competition debut but it looks like having been worth it. Inevitably the Balata story, as with most positive stories from Palestine, is one that is carved out of adversity and the day-to-day challenges of living and playing in the country.

Balata made their mark with a first-ever AFC Cup win thanks to forward Khaled Salem who scored a hat-trick at the King Abdullah II Stadium, while Fares Arnaout and Abdulrahman Ahmedi replied for Muharraq. Balata head coach Ayman Sandouqa (pictured) said: “We were really focused and determined to achieve a positive result and this is what happened. The players showed great spirit and fought hard on the pitch to achieve this victory.”

The Palestinians, in Mahmoud Abuwarda, have a dynamo that not only leads the 2021 AFC Cup stats in tackles made, but also is third ranked in the tournament stats for successful dribbles. For Balata to progress in Amman, Jordan, they will need all his skills.

In the other Group B game, Lebanon’s Al Ansar face Bahrain’s Muharraq Club, the third time these clubs have met in the AFC Cup, with Al Ansar failing win a game after their meeting in the 2008 group stages (D1 L1).

Al Muharraq have only lost three of their 12 games against Lebanese sides in the AFC Cup, winning eight times including the last two in a row (W8 D1 L3), but have lost two of their last three games in the AFC Cup (W1), after losing only three of their 14 games in the competition prior to this (W9 D2 L3).

All to play for

Group B is not the only group where qualification is going down to the wire.

In the three-team Group A the winner of Lebanon’s Al Ahed and Bahrain’s Al Hidd will take group honours and go through to the next round. If the match is drawn all three groups will be tied at the top of the group on equal points.

The force looks likely to be with Al Ahed who have won both their previous games against Al Hidd in the AFC Cup, both in the 2016 group stages by an aggregate score on 6-2. Al Ahed have further extended their longest ever unbeaten run in the AFC Cup to 13 games (W7 D6), keeping a clean sheet in 10 of those games.

In Group C, the winner of Jordan’s Al Faisaly and Kuwait City will automatically qualify for the next round. Al Faisaly currently top the group on six points ahead of the Kuwaitis. A draw would likely mean both teams would qualify.

This is the first meeting between Al Faisaly and Kuwait in the AFC Cup. Al Faisaly have won their two opening games in the 2021 AFC Cup, keeping a clean sheet in both. But they have only once before kept three consecutive clean sheets in the competition (in April 2005).

Kuwait have only won two of their eight previous games against Jordanian teams in the AFC Cup.

Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1736499848labto1736499848ofdlr1736499848owedi1736499848sni@n1736499848osloh1736499848cin.l1736499848uap1736499848


Latest Tweets