Palestine and Konyaspor halted their match in Konya, Turkey, on Wednesday night when the clock reached 10:14, to remember the 1,014 athletes killed in the Israeli genocide in Gaza since October 2023.
The stadium went dark at the exact hour. When the lights came back on, streamers fell from the stands and fans threw stuffed animals onto the pitch to donate to children.
Konya marked Palestine Day with several events in support of the Palestinian people.
Before kick-off, fans unveiled tifos in memory of journalists, footballers and children who lost their lives. Both teams walked out in matching black shirts with a Palestinian flag and the message “Palestine is a humanitarian issue”. The players then posed for a group photo.
Konyaspor took the lead after two minutes. Mostafa Mohamed made an incisive run that caused a mix-up in Palestine’s defence, while Melih Ibrahimoglu slotted home Diogo Gonçalves’s pass.
Palestine equalised after the restart. Their goalkeeper found Bakir Mahmoud, who sent Mohammed Sandouqa away on the counter-attack. Sandouqa, who joined Arab Contractors in Egypt earlier this season, carried the ball 50 metres into the Konyaspor box and finished at the far post.
Sandouqa then set up Palestine’s second. He chested a clearance from a Konyaspor corner into the path of Samer Zubaida, who won a footrace for the ball and drove into the box. Zubaida passed to Sandouqa, who finished alone to make it 2-1. Sandouqa captained Palestine’s U20 and U23 teams.
Konyaspor levelled three minutes later. Mostafa Mohamed headed in a cross from Deniz Türüç.
The pace dropped in the second half as both sides made changes.
Ten minutes from time, Palestine gave a guard of honour to Mohammed Direya. Observers once tipped him to become the next Oday Dabbagh, and he moved to Valmieras in Latvia’s top flight at 19. Doctors diagnosed him with cancer two years ago. When he stepped onto the pitch, Ali Rabei handed him the captain’s armband as the crowd cheered.
Konyaspor came close to a winner late on, but Palestine held firm for a 2-2 draw.
The referee blew the final whistle one second early. At the post-match press conference, the club explained that this was deliberate: the match will finish after Palestine’s liberation.
Palestine will play two more friendlies in November ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
