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DAMASCUS, Sept. 5-- Thousands of Syrians thronged the capital Damascus' main square and streets, celebrating their national soccer team's draw with the battlefield ally Iran in the World Cup qualification match on Tuesday. The game ended 2-2, when striker Omar al-Soma slid a magical equalizer in the 93rd minute under the Iranian keeper. With South Korea and Uzbekistan drawing 0-0, the 2-2 result gives Syria a third-place finish and a playoff spot in the six-team Group A of Asian qualifying. Syria will play two matches against Saudi Arabia. Even though the chances are now slim, but the draw in Tuesday's match revived hope that the national team could qualify for the next year World Cup in Russia, which would be the first qualification in the history of the Syrian football. In the Ummayad Square in the heart of Damascus, thousands of people watched the game on giant screens setup for this specific event. In public parks, people also gathered to watch the game. Crackles of celebratory gunshots reverberated after the match as an expression of happiness. "We were wishing to beat Iran in this game to directly qualify, but the draw is acceptable as it gives us hope that our dream is not dead yet," Muhammad Salem, a Syrian state employee, told Xinhua at the Jala' sports club in Mazzeh neighborhood. Holding Syrian flags and wearing T-shirts of the Syrian national team, people jumped and danced on the rhythm of national songs, as cars honked their horns in happiness. | 
