- 09:55
A dunk, a three-pointer, two free throws: Karim Zeinoun pulled out the full clutch-player arsenal to spare Lebanon a disastrous start to the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
It nearly ended in a debacle. Long dominant, the Lebanese almost threw it all away, squandering a 15-point lead before narrowly pulling out a win against Qatar (84–80) on Wednesday night at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. A victory as precious as it was laborious, snatched in the final moments by one man: Karim Zeinoun.
KZ, the Flash in the Night
With Qatar, led by a red-hot Brandon Goodwin (33 points), closing the gap to just one point (79–78) with 52 seconds left, KZ took matters into his own hands. He grabbed an offensive rebound after a missed shot by Ali Mansour, dribbled to the right corner, and launched a three-pointer: swish. With 26 seconds to go, Lebanon could breathe a little (82-78). Goodwin brought his team back to within two points from the line, but Zeinoun followed up with two cold-blooded free throws to seal the game (84-80). Always there when it counts.
A Team Win That Nearly Slipped Away
Lebanon still showed some promising signs, despite the noticeable absence of star player Wael Arakji, who had just recovered from injury. Likely rested by the coaching staff ahead of the clash with Australia, the 2022 Asian MVP left his teammates to manage without him… and it almost cost them dearly.
Ali Mansour and Dedric Lawson led the scoring with 12 points each. Lawson was especially tough under the boards (7 rebounds) and was named TCL Player of the Game. Hayk Gyokchyan (11 points) shone at halftime, notably with two back-to-back three-pointers that reversed the momentum and gave a lasting lead (16-11).
Ali Haidar, always valuable in the shadows, also scored 11 points in a game where Lebanon’s outside shooting (7 three-pointers in total) helped… even though the defense showed many flaws in crunch time.
“It was a very difficult game. The first one is always tricky in a tournament. But we won — and we deserve this victory,” said coach Miodrag Perisic, relieved but clear-eyed.
Next Challenge: The Australian Ogres
With this win, Lebanon gets off to a strong start in its Asian campaign — even if the performance left room for improvement. And what’s coming is tough: the Cedars face Australia this Friday at 6 PM in what will be a rematch of the 2022 final. The Boomers, for their part, sent a strong message by blowing out South Korea (97-61), led by Jack McVeigh.
Lebanon vs. Australia: a Group A summit and a real-world test. They’ll have to step it up, tighten the screws, and hope for a return of Wael Arakji to bring the extra soul and clarity that was sorely missed on Wednesday.
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