Al Wakrah, Qatar – It was an unforgettable evening at Al Janoub Stadium – a night that belonged to Palestine, regardless of the result on the pitch.

The noise, the flags and the number of spectators all worked in the team’s favor as they went into the game with a 2023 AFC Asian Cup win Loss of his name and a relentless war against his people.

The uninhibited demonstration of love and support for the war-torn nation started before kick-off, increased throughout the night and only became quieter when the last fans had left the stadium at the Palestine’s end Group C game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday evening in Al Wakrah.

Chants of “Free, Free Palestine” rang out in a crescendo as players exited the tunnel and onto the field. The Palestinian players thanked the crowd with waves and applause before gathering in a group.

“The players will feel a sense of responsibility tonight – they must be aware that they carry the hopes of a nation at war,” Mariana al-Hindi, a Palestinian living in Qatar, told Al Jazeera before kick-off.

“You’re going to want to put a smile on everyone’s face by doing well tonight,” she said as she approached the turnstiles with her husband and daughter.

“As Palestinians, we are happy that our country is represented and recognized at a major event, but at the same time we are heartbroken about the situation in Gaza,” said Abdullah, her husband.

As the game began, the men in red were cheered on by a cheering crowd.

Every touch of the ball by a Palestinian player was applauded, and every time the UAE retained possession the unabashedly partisan crowd booed loudly.

Palestine had a few spells of possession early on, but the UAE soon found a rhythm and began to attack the Palestinian goal. Their efforts bore fruit in the 23rd minute when Sultan Adil scored from a free header. The stadium was silent for a moment until a small group of Emirati fans began to sing.

The rest of the crowd remained undeterred and urged the Palestinian team to push for a goal. When Oday Dabbagh was brought down in the UAE penalty area 12 minutes later, the crowd jumped to their feet and pointed to the penalty spot.

The referee’s dismissal of the appeals was not well received by the crowd, who urged him to carry out a VAR check.

When a penalty was then awarded against Palestine and Khalifa al-Hammadi was shown a red card, the stadium stood and applauded the decision.

Tamer Sayem’s penalty failed and the first half ended with the UAE still in the lead.

The cheering didn’t let up during the half-time break, especially when the intro to the song “Dami Filastini” (My Blood is Palestinian) played over the loudspeaker system.

The crowd stood on their feet and sang along to the chorus – for one night they were all Palestinians.

When play resumed, Palestine tried to take control of the proceedings with early pressure, which bore fruit when the UAE scored an own goal in the 48th minute.

Palestine didn’t care how the goal was scored – they ran around the field with joy. There was chaos in the stands. Children jumped on their seats, women hugged each other and men let out tears as the ball went into the goal.

“These players have been through a lot, all Palestinians have been through a lot, so this was a very special moment,” Yassine Abdullah, a Palestinian student, said shortly after the goal.

“Everyone saw what hard work, inspiration and support achieved for Morocco at the World Cup. We hope this game can bring the same to our team,” he said as Palestine pushed for a second goal.

“We could be the Morocco of this tournament.”

Despite their relentless attacks, the 10-man UAE team held Palestine at bay and managed a 1-1 draw.

After the final whistle, the Palestinian players ran around the pitch and applauded their supporters for the tense atmosphere that kept them going until the end.

Assad Qusais, who watched the game with his family, said the men in red may have done just enough to keep hope alive.

“It depends on them playing against Hong Kong [in the last group match] “But as one of the best third-place teams, we could still do it,” he said with a shrug.

Abdullah, who compared supporting Palestine to supporting Morocco in the World Cup, said he would love to see his team achieve similar success.

The continental tournament and game may not have the weight of a World Cup, but for the passionate Palestinian fans the evening meant something global.