“This is the result of the tremendous efforts made by the Palestinian Football Association,” said Abu Jazar in a recent interview with the-AFC.com. “To be present in four consecutive editions of the AFC Asian Cup Finals is a major achievement for us.

“As everyone knows, this tournament has developed significantly over recent years and has become much stronger than before. At the same time, we, the Palestinian Football Association and the Palestine national team, have also developed greatly in recent years.

“We are now reaping the rewards of what has been built since 2008. Therefore, we are proud of this participation, and hopefully, it will be better than our previous appearances.”

It was a world away for Palestine at the start of Round 2 after a draw and a defeat left them with a mountain to climb but back-to-back wins against Bangladesh helped steadied the course.

In the end, qualification to the continental showpiece was secured with a match to spare thanks to a goalless draw with Lebanon as Palestine advanced to the AFC Asian Qualifiers™ - Road to 26, with Abu Jazar taking charge for the final four matches in a campaign where the West Asian side finished with an impressive seven points.

“Honestly, during the recent period we had players performing at a very high level technically, physically and tactically. Most of them benefited from professional experiences in both Arab and European leagues, and the accumulation of this experience helped us perform at this level.

“Qualifying for this AFC Asian Cup and reaching the final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers was certainly not easy. It was achieved through great effort.

“As a newly appointed coaching staff, we took charge during the last four matches of the Qualifiers, where we refreshed the squad and tried to rely more on young players, while also bringing in new faces. Thankfully, our choices and our reading of many matches proved successful.

“As everyone knows, domestic competitions in Palestine which were considered the main supplier of players for the national team have been suspended for three years.

“Therefore, we had to take responsibility as a coaching staff by relying on young players and recruiting players from the diaspora, as well as professionals playing abroad. I believe this was a very difficult decision because rebuilding a team always comes with challenges, but thankfully, our choices were successful.”

Palestine, then under the tutelage of Makram Daboub, reached the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ Round of 16 - advancing to the knockout stage for the first time and Abu Jazar is fully aware that more will be expected from their side at Saudi Arabia 2027, with hosts Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman their challengers in Group A.

“Since most of our players are playing abroad, the team gatherings will usually take place only two or three days before international matches. In my opinion, this is not enough, but we always try to overcome these difficulties.

“We will certainly work to maximise every international break. Hopefully, we will have a number of new players joining the team in the coming period. We are also trying to make some tactical adjustments, including changes to our playing style.

“During the (FIFA) Arab Cup, we saw that the players showed great tactical flexibility. At times, we played with a back four, while at other times we used five defenders. I believe these aspects provide us with technical comfort, and we will continue to strengthen them so that we arrive at the AFC Asian Cup with a complete understanding of the team.

“No team enters any competition without ambitions of winning and competing strongly to go as far as possible. Honestly, I believe reaching the Round of 16 has now become a realistic ambition for us, and we are already looking forward to going beyond that stage.”