"Out of the dark, you come into the light. Out of the light, you'll return to the dark" - a haunted word mentioning the Syrian football on its 2022 dream

When I see a scene in Assassin's Creed: Unity, setting scenario in France prior to and during the French Revolution, we see a young nobleman, Arno Dorian, being framed and jailed because of the death of a Templar's Grand Master. There, from the jail, he joined Pierre Bellec, a Canadian assassin, later escaped the Bastille and joined the Assassin Order, where he was baptised to become one of them. It was where these words were taken by Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau (or Mirabeau for short), a French nobleman noted for trying to balance between the monarchy and the revolutionary force, and, in-game, a secret assassin trying to unify both the Assassins and the Templars to end their historical rivalry.

The goal of Arno Dorian when joining the Brotherhood was nothing but to avenge the deaths of his Assassin's father and his Grand Master, to enforce the idea of the Assassins; but it turned out that everything was complex, that both the Assassin Order and the Templar were corrupt to the core, his Assassin master poisoned Mirabeau. In the end, he stayed Assassin, yet questioned its values, especially after the death of his love, Elise.

Maybe this is a bit complex, but it seems suited to the situation of Syria. Syria is even more notable as it is the home of the original Assassin Order (based in Masyaf, a real-life city), and is also ravaged by a bloody civil war since 2011. Syrian national football team, under circumstances, has been forced to play away from home.

Syrian football is a very interesting saga reflection of stability and tension. The Syrian football team is the buildup from this. It had come close to reaching the promised land in 2018 qualification, after being disqualified in the previous campaign due to fielding ineligible players. Yet, their near reach of the 2018 World Cup was followed by a tragic 2019 Asian Cup run, where Syria finished last in their group at the disbelief of fans, including a shock goalless draw to minnows Palestine.

Syrians love football. They love it madly. Syrian fans are noted patriotic and somewhat passionate of its players. Some have made names for themselves, notably Kevork Mardikian and Firas Al-Khatib. One Syrian club, Al-Karamah, came close to become AFC Champions League's winner in 2006, losing to South Korea's Jeonbuk 2-3 on aggregate. But Syria has never attained the same respect at the national level. Its football team has come to over six Asian Cups, but their best result stays group stage. The 2019 Asian Cup, already mentioned, in particular, was heartbreaking.

Syria strangely staged a stunning comeback in the 2022 qualifiers. Drawn with China, the Philippines, the Maldives and Guam at the second round, Syria was not regarded likely like prior to the 2019 Asian Cup, mainly due to the shocking poor forms in the former. Yet Syria topped their group at the expense of China and the Philippines, with only one defeat. It should be worth mentioning that Syria has changed coaches, two times, with Fajr Ibrahim, the man responsible for Syria's resurgence, sacked in favour of Tunisian boss Nabil Maâloul, who took charge in Syria's remaining fixtures. However, a salary dispute led the Tunisian coach to get off the chair, and Nizar Mahrous was subsequently appointed for the third round.

Syria represents exact the quote. It comes from dark to shine, but when it is out of spectator, it'll return empty and soulless. The Syrian team has always been a shining example of how a war-ravaged nation can still field a good team to fight for the nation's pride, best seen with Syria's incredible draws against Iran and South Korea three times and a shock away win over China back in 2018 qualifiers; then ended in a full humiliation after the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Now, the same Syrian side, but prone to internal fighting and instability, will fight in the third round as an example.

Yes, when I mention "prone to internal fighting and instability", Syria definitely has more reasons to feel afraid of in its second debut at this stage. The fact that Syria has been unable to stick with a coach after only a few games in few months (except for Nabil Maâloul due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and the lack of capable players to energise the team's capabilities, as well as the very reckless defending, make Syria much weaker than we thought, despite Syria's strength on paper. The second round helped hidden these weaknesses, but not for long.

Iran and South Korea are no longer childish like they played Syria previously, these teams are better prepared to wait for Syria, though Syria still has chances to surprise. Iraq, UAE and Lebanon are Syria's neighbours, speaking the same Arabic language, thus Syria is even more prone to be exposed by these opponents. Lebanon has been no longer easy to beat for Syria, as proven when Syria's last win was in 2011, before suffering two defeats and a draw. The UAE is a big name in Asian football, a very capable side being reinforced with some naturalised South Americans, the UAE has also been a frequent Asian Cup participant and more successful in qualifications. Iraq has a team playing with vast youth resources, unique sound techniques and capable of diversifying its attacking skills, something Syria appears lacking as the team is ageing and its youth replacements are no longer talented like its predecessors.

Under that circumstances, although many people are cheering for Syria to create another surprise, we should mention the German legendary manager Otto Rehhagel, who led Greece to a fabulous Euro 2004 conquest but suffered a disheartening group stage exit four years later, told that "luck doesn't come twice a day, if it does, then why should we call it football? That's life, we have to accept that."

Ultimately, Syria's elements of luck are disappearing. Its players are no longer strangers. With the Syrian team being studied throughout the second round, there is no guarantee that Syria will do better in the third round. Internal fighting and the inability to adapt to the new circle can bring a ruinous outcome to the Syrians. Syria can't always rely on the likes of Mardik Mardikian, Omar Al Somah, Omar Kharbin or Mahmoud Al-Mawas.

The 1-3 loss to China in the last fixture of the second round, though affected none on Syria's standing, should serve as a warning sign for Syria. If they continue to let arrogance, myth and sunshine thinking on the head without observing reality, it can produce a huge repercussion.