By Tim Wimborne CANBERRA (Reuters) - Palestine held firm against waves of Iraq pressure as the two West Asian sides were locked level at 0-0 at halftime in their Group D finale on Tuesday. A point would be e**ugh for Iraq to qualify for a sixth consecutive Asian Cup quarter-final, provided Japan see out their 1-0 halftime advantage over Jordan in the other Group D match in Melbourne. Palestine coach Ahmed Al Hassan made seven changes for the match at Canberra Stadium and the new recruits pressed and harried their opponents, who dominated possession but struggled to test stand in goalkeeper Tawfiq Abuhammad. Palestine came close to snatching a surprise lead in the 21st minute when Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan flapped at an inswinging corner from the left but Ahmed Ibrahim hacked the ball away before Abdallatif Al-Bahdari could turn it in.
01-20-2015, 02:03 PM
Palestine keep Iraq goalless at halftime
العرض الشجري