“It’s an important and a precious victory as we are able to bring joy to the Palestinian people,” said Abujazar.

“The match wasn’t easy, especially since we were playing Kuwait on their home turf, in front of their fans looking to keep hopes alive with a win against us."

“The weather conditions, humidity and heat had a big effect on the players’ performance. The injury to the player at the start of the match also impacted how we made substitutions and managed the game.”

Kuwait head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi was left with mixed feelings as he felt his side played well without getting the desired result.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to achieve, especially in the first half, the style of play we were aiming for,” said Pizzi. “We’re left with the bitter taste of being eliminated. I want to highlight the effort the players put in, because I just saw them in the locker room and they’re all very, very tired.

“We’re still working, we have to keep putting in the effort. Now, at this stage, we have the match against Korea (Republic). After that, there will be a break, and then we’ll start preparing to keep improving. I believe there’s still significant room for improvement.”