In a historic moment for Syrian football, the national team secured a spot in the AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 after a remarkable 1-0 victory over India.
The triumph marked Syria's first-ever qualification for the knockout rounds in the history of the Asian Cup.
The significance of the achievement was palpable, and emotions ran high for Syria's translator and interviewer, who couldn't hold their tears of joy following the team's success. The passionate reactions underscored the magnitude of the moment for the players and their supporters.
Manager Héctor Cúper, while not as visibly emotional as some of his team members, expressed satisfaction and pride in his squad's performance.
The decisive moment in the match came in the 76th minute when Omar Khribin found the back of the net, securing the crucial goal that propelled Syria into the Round of 16.
The team finished Group B with four points, earning them a place in the knockout stage as one of the best four third-placed teams.
“We are very happy with the qualification, very proud of my players, they made huge sacrifices to get this result,” the Argentine coach Cuper said.
“We played the game with one aim in our mind – to win, and we managed to do that.
“We don’t want to stop here.”
Syria dominated the early stages in Doha, launching most of the attacks, but they were limited to speculative shots as they aimed for their inaugural goal and victory in this Asian Cup.
In the 25th minute, Mahmood Al-Aswad, in possession, violently chest-barged Mahesh Singh Naorem to the ground, risking a red card. The referee, Sivakorn Pu-udom, opted for leniency and booked both players.
Shortly after, the Thai official dismissed vehement penalty appeals from the Syrians for a challenge in the box on Ammar Ramadan.
By half-time, with Uzbekistan trailing Australia 1-0 in the concurrent group match, a victory would have levelled Syria with Uzbekistan on four points. However, they lagged behind on goal difference, requiring additional goals to secure second place and an automatic berth in the knockout stage.
With 20 minutes left and goals needed, Cuper sent on forward Alaa Al-Dali, replacing Ramadan.
As Indian legs were tired, Syria finally mustered a moment of slick football 14 minutes from time, Ibrahim Hesar delivering a cutback from the left for Khribin to drill into the net.
“Congratulations to Syria, they deserved their win,” India's head coach Igor Stimac said.
“They were stronger than us and more calm.”
Despite falling once more at the first hurdle – in what was a hard group – Stimac said India would take home “good lessons”.
“It was a learning experience for the boys,” he said, having seen his team beaten 2-0 by Australia and 3-0 by Uzbekistan.
“My satisfaction is that we managed to create chances against Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria.”