Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tehran: A last-gasp spot-kick saw Saudi Arabia take all three points from a hard-fought 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualifying win over Palestine on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia were making their first Group C appearance while Palestine were playing their second fixture following their 2-0 victory over Afghanistan in Monday’s curtain raiser and they were looking good for picking up at least another point until Syrian referee Masoud Tufayelieh awarded the Saudis a penalty with two minutes at the PAS Stadium remaining.
Skipper Abdullah Madu was entrusted with penalty duty and the defender held his nerve to score from the spot and hand the late victory for the Saudis.
Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams from all groups will join hosts Qatar at the AFC U-23 Championship 2016, with January’s 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio.