The war-torn country of Syria is watching as its national football team is creating a remarkable story by progressing to a World Cup play-off against Australia.
A last-gasp goal against Iran in Tehran at the weekend has seen them overcome incomprehensible difficulties to be two steps away from the global showpiece in Russia next summer.
Martin Chulov joined Off the Ball to discuss the story and asked by Nathan Murphy if it can be described as a fairytale, he said: "I certainly think on one level it is. This is a team of battlers who don't have many training facilities. They have been split by political divisions for the last six years. They couldn't assemble a star national team until quite recently.
"They're not paid well, they're not coached well yet somehow they were able to pull together in a trip to Tehran and score that equaliser deep into extra time and, as you say, take the Syrian national team to a play-off in Malaysia.
Syria's players celebrate after scoring in a match against last year. China. Picture by: Xinhua/SIPA USA/PA Images
"There are many dozens of Syrian players who have done well in various leagues around Europe and around the Middle East. It is not the best team that Syria could field in better times. But, nonetheless it does seem to have played a above its weight. It does seem to have gotten over the quite crippling politics that beset the Syrian National Football team.
"They're certainly in a time of crises at the moment and above all it's a feel good moment for the team and for the country.
"It's certainly something that the Syrian leader has been very keen to seize upon as a nation building moment. The politics of sport are just as acute in Syria as anywhere else," he added.
Politics is rarely ever far from sport and that's the case with the current Syrian team. The team is made of up players loyal to embattled Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad and despite this, Chulov spoke to many exiled Syrians who are pleased to see their team do well. "It was very interesting talking to them. These are people who have lived away from Damascus for the last six years from wealthy established families and don't feel it's safe to go back.
"They're not refugees in the strict sense - they're exiles but they do have somewhat of an axe to grind with the Assad regime. They were saying that the government has been quite cynical in its exploitation of this and have been using this for propaganda purposes to try and speak to unity and sovereignty and all of the things the politicians would like to capitalise on in such a moment.
"By the same token, they couldn't hep but feel patriotic because at the end of he day this is the national team - the best national team the Syria can field at the moment.
"It did punch above its weight. It did make its way through to a play-off which could get it through to the World Cup which Syria hasn't done before and it is a remarkable achievement," he added.
The full discussion can be hears here:
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