Palestine reach Asian Cup knockouts for first time

Palestine reached the Asian Cup knockout rounds for the first time after beating Hong Kong 3-0 on Tuesday for their maiden win in the history of the competition.

They just missed out on second spot in Group C but advance as one of the four best third-placed teams, with Oday Dabbagh the hero for his two goals.

United Arab Emirates went through in second place despite losing 2-1 to group winners Iran.

The historic victory in Doha comes against the backdrop of the Hamas-Israel war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Palestinian players and staff have lost loved ones in the conflict and said before the tournament that they hoped to provide some comfort to those suffering back home.

A pre-match moment's silence was overrun by shouts of "Free Palestine."