If All Goes Well, We Might See War-Torn Syria Play The 2018 Football World Cup In Russia

Syria believe in 'impossible dream' as war-ravaged nation's goalkeeper feels their performance in World Cup Qualifiers is like a balm for people.

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Chennai: Striker Omar Al Somah's 93rd-minute equalizer against Iran in the AFC Group A World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday has kept alive the dreams of a war-torn nation - Syria. The draw has taken Syria closer to World Cup qualification - they need to win a two-legged play-off against Australia in October to book a berth in the final qualifier against the fourth-placed CONCACAF team.

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"We knew that a win against Iran could have sealed our automatic qualification spot. But it doesn't matter. We have earned a draw and now we will go all out against Australia. We are not afraid of Australia. We will consider them as any other Asian team. We fought till the end against Iran and we will do it again against Australia. This is our best chance to qualify for the World Cup. We won't let it slip away easily," Mahmoud Al-Youssef, Syria's reserve goalkeeper told TOI.

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The Syrians have battled against all odds to raise hopes of qualifying for their first ever World Cup. According to official data, more than six years of civil war has claimed the lives of 4,70,000 civilians while 5 million people have taken refuge in other countries. The jihadi outfit Islamic State (ISIS) has also crippled life in the country. Despite the tension that has become a part of the daily narrative, football remains a refuge for the people of the country.

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Mahmoud believes that the team's performance in the World Cup qualifiers has given a ray of hope for the people who are trying to cope with the daily calamities of a long-drawn war."Our performance is like a balm to our people. It has put a smile back on the faces of the people. They stand united and are hoping for the impossible to happen. Even when we were 1-2 down against Iran, we didn't lose faith because of our people back home. The hardships of our people act as motivation for our side," the 29-year old keeper told TOI on Thursday.

In the group stage, the Ayman Hakeem-coached side had won six of their eight matches and lost only to Japan to make the cut for third and final round. They then finished third behind Iran and South Korea in the final round with three wins and four draws in their 10 matches.

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Due to security issues, Syria were forced to play all their home matches in Oman and Malaysia. Their players also had to cope up with low wages and difficult practice conditions while two of their most experienced players - Firas Al Khatib and Al Somah - returned from exile recently. "Despite Oman and Malaysia providing us with all the support, it feels like we are playing an away game every time because of the lack of support. But we don't complain as we are absolutely focused on the job at hand," said Mahmoud.