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Two goals for peace within five minutes of the second half brought victory to the footballers playing against a team made up of Israeli and Palestinian footballers. However, it wasn’t the result that was most important, but the message of peace and friendship, seen by more than 400 million viewers worldwide.
The match organized by the Peres Center for Peace attracted an incredible crowd of 31,820 spectators to the stadium and even more to television screens, where it could be watched by viewers from 70 countries.
The match took place with Catalan, Jewish, and Palestinian flags waving all around the stadium, and fans supporting both teams with warm applause, as they tried to change the score.
Israeli politician Shimon Peres watched the match along with Sean Connery, who was invited as a guest of honor to this prestigious event.
The peace team was coached by a joint coaching duo - Dror Kashtanas, the coach of the Israeli national team, and Jamal Hadeideh, the coach of the "West Bank Tulkarm" club. The captains of the Palestinian national team, Haldin Mahed Ali Aloaras, and the Israeli national team, Avi Nimni, led their teams on the field. In addition to them, the team included Jewish and Palestinian players from the occupied West Bank region.
Barcelona came out to play with a relatively strong lineup, with the newly crowned "Golden Ball" winner, Ronaldinho, taking the field from the start of the match. This time, however, Eusebio Sacristan took over the coaching duties, as Frank Rijkaard hadn't recovered from the flu.
After a goalless first half, Barcelona surged ahead in the second half, with Deco impressively sending the ball past the goalkeeper, and five minutes later, Maxi Lopez increased the score with a beautiful strike after a pass from Giuly.
In the 67th minute, Abbas Suan broke through Alberto Jorquero's goal with a strong shot, narrowing the gap - the match ended with Barcelona winning 2-1.
