When Round 3 of the 2026 Asian World Cup qualifiers got underway last September, one result stood out: South Korea 0-0 Palestine.
The disparity between the two teams couldn't be greater. Korea, ranked 23rd in the world, against the side ranked 101. The 11-time World Cup qualifiers and two-time champions of Asia against a Palestine team that has never come remotely close to the global finals and whose best finish in continental competition was reaching the last-16 in Qatar last year.
Buoyed by a partisan crowd at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, a home side containing household names, including Tottenham forward Son Heung-min and Paris Saint-Germain defender Lee Kang-in were held.
Keeping them at bay that night behind a resolute rearguard was Rami Hamadi, the Palestinian national team goalkeeper.
Hamadi's preparation for the game was unlike most. Commuting between Jerusalem and Shefa-Amr – a round-trip journey of 300km – Hamadi would start with a morning training session with a goalkeeping coach, followed by a midday rest at his family’s house. In the afternoon, he would train with his boyhood club Ittihad Abna Shefa-Amr.
“It was not easy, but I felt that I had that responsibility to the Palestine national team to be ready.” Hamadi told The National.
Hamadi was again pivotal in the return leg – played in Amman – a 1-1 draw that earned Palestine another valuable point in their World Cup quest.
Palestine sit fifth in Asian qualifying Group B on six points. With only the top two teams qualifying automatically, the team still have a chance to reach the global finals via October’s six-team repechage tournament if they can finish third or fourth.
They face Kuwait and Oman, on Thursday and next Tuesday. Palestine need to win both and hope either Oman drop points against Jordan or for Iraq to lose their two games to advance.
“I think it is better to have that pressure – to play more, to fight more, you know it is your last chance ... And we will fight until the end to make it to the next round,” Hamadi said.
It has been an arduous journey for Palestine to even get to the point where they are in with a shout of qualifying. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the events of October 7, 2023, the national team have not played a home match in five-and-a-half years.
The ongoing war with Israel has shut down the domestic league for almost two entire seasons. The leagues in the West Bank and Gaza were crucial to Palestine’s improvement on the international stage. When Palestine beat Hong Kong 3-0 at last year’s Asian Cup to reach the knockout round for the first time, nine of the starting XI were products of clubs in those leagues, as were four out of the five substitutes.
Hamadi was one of those. The goalkeeper’s journey started in the streets of Shefa-Amr, a town nestled in Northern Galilee, where he learned the game from his older brothers. In 2011, he was called up to Palestine’s U19 team and joined Thaqafi Tulkarem of the West Bank Premier League age 17.
In 2013, Hamadi was called up to the senior national team for the first time. Two years later, he travelled to Australia as the youngest member of the first Palestine squad to compete at the Asian Cup.
After Palestine's run at the 2023 Asian Cup (played in early 2024), Hamadi was without a club, having been let go by Jabal Al Mukaber. The Qatari and Libyan football associations had just granted foreign player exemptions to Palestinian players. Despite being first choice for his country, no offer for Hamadi was forthcoming.
“The pressure was so high, I have a family, a house, and a wife, and my job was stopped, cancelled without a salary,” Hamadi said. “I spoke to a lot of clubs and a lot of agents. I got a lot of promises, but in the end, I got nothing from them. It was hard for me and for my family, but I kept working.”
Eventually, Qatari second-division club Al Markhiya did make Hamadi a short-term offer in January, and he excelled, helping the club to a promotion play-off where they came up just short.
Hamadi, who has 27 clean sheets from his 56 internationals, will hope to showcase his talents on the big stage and help Palestine take a step closer to the impossible dream.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
SHAITTAN
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
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Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
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The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
Racecard
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Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
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