Al Khor: Reigning champions Qatar advanced to the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ after a 2-1 comeback victory over Palestine at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday. After an outstanding performance in the group stage, the defending champions approached Monday's round-of-16 match under the weight of expectations from a boisterous home crowd. Palestine, dressed in white, launched a barrage of attacks on the Qatari goal after capitalizing on a sluggish start by the home team. In the 19th minute, Meshal Barsham faced his first test when Amid Mahajna attempted a long-range shot from 25 yards out. Minutes later, Mahmoud Abu Warda found himself in a similar situation on the left flank, and he met Zeid Qunbar's lay-off with the outside of his left boot. However, Barsham made another save for Qatar. Palestine's Oday Dabbagh stunned the crowd of almost 65,000 at the tent-like Al-Bayt Stadium by opening the scoring in the 37th minute. Dabbagh's strike was the first goal Qatar conceded in the tournament and only the second in the AFC Asian Cup since 2015. Qatar equalized with nearly the final kick of the half. Akram Afif and Hassan Al Haydos combined from the corner kick, as they did in the win over China PR. Afif's delivery was low-driven this time, and Al Haydos made the run to the penalty spot before striking it the first time; his shot was deflected off Musab Al Battat and into the back of the Palestine net for the equalizer. Following the break, the hosts resumed precisely where they left off. Akram Afif, a crowd favourite and the tournament's leading goal scorer, turned the match on its head four minutes into the second half with a perfectly slotted penalty. The playmaker's goal and assist on the night brought his total to 17 goal contributions in the AFC Asian Cup, including 12 assists, three times more than any other player since 2011. Palestine tried to create chances for the rest of the match, but none bore fruit. As a result of the victory, the host nation will play on Saturday against the victor of the last-16 match between Uzbekistan and Thailand at Al Bayt Stadium. Palestine, meanwhile, exits the tournament after an unprecedented first appearance in the knockout stage and six goals scored; they had previously scored just one goal in six matches at the AFC Asian Cup in both 2015 and 2019.