Historic Comeback: Palestine Earns Draw Against Tunisia

Palestine pulled off a stunning comeback against Tunisia, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 2-2 draw in the Arab Cup 2025 at Lusail Stadium in Doha. The result puts Palestine on four points and close to reaching the round of 16, while Tunisia earned their first point but now faces a tough road to the quarterfinals.

Tunisia controlled the opening phase, dominating midfield with quick passing and constant attacking from their fullbacks. The pressure paid off early when Ali Maaloul delivered a perfect corner kick in the 10th minute. Firas Chaouat met it with a powerful header, but Palestinian goalkeeper Rami Hamada made a brilliant save to keep his team in the game.

The Tunisian pressure continued and finally broke through in the 16th minute. After another corner from Ismail Gharbi, Chaouat's header was saved by Hamada, and Ferjani Sassi's follow-up was also blocked. But Omar Ayouni pounced on the loose ball to give Tunisia a deserved lead after a series of attempts.

Palestine struggled to find their rhythm for most of the first half. They finally created their first real chance in the 37th minute when Hamed Hamdan delivered a good cross to Mohamed Saleh, but the striker couldn't connect properly with the ball.

Tunisia extended their lead early in the second half. Mohamed Ali Ben Ramadan intercepted the ball from Milad Tirmaniai and played a neat pass to Firas Chaouat, who finished calmly in the 51st minute.

But Palestine's response was impressive. They became more organized in their attacks and started pressing higher up the pitch. Hamed Hamdan pulled one back with a spectacular long-range strike from outside the penalty area that flew into the net in the 61st minute.

Palestine took control of midfield and kept threatening Tunisia's goal. Hamdan nearly scored again with another powerful shot that went just wide of the post. The equalizer came in the 85th minute when Zaid Al-Qunbar followed up on a ball played by Mohamed Zidan and fired it home with a strong finish.

Tunisia nearly snatched a winner in stoppage time, but Hamada produced another outstanding save to deny Ismail Gharbi's precise effort. The match ended with both teams sharing the points in what turned into a thrilling encounter.

For Palestine, this result keeps their knockout stage hopes very much alive after picking up four points from two games. Tunisia now needs to regroup quickly, as their path to the quarterfinals has become much more complicated with just one point from two matches.