Listen to the artice
Lebanon faces its final game of the World Cup this Saturday against Iran. This global competition has been a real challenge for the Lebanese team, who has unfortunately suffered three consecutive defeats in a group described as the “group of death,” which includes Latvia, Canada, and France.
After losing to France (79-85), Lebanon triumphed over the Ivorian team in Jakarta last Thursday, claiming their first victory since the 2010 World Cup with a final score of 94-84.
Amir Saoud was the star of the show, scoring an impressive 29 points. His remarkable performance placed him among the top five players of the day on Thursday, August 31.
The “Prince,” back from injury, was the perfect replacement for Wael Arakji, who had been injured since his match against France, when he also scored 29 points.
Omari Spellman also shone in this match, scoring 25 points, which was his best performance since joining the Lebanese team.
Dominating the game with a 14-point lead at the end of the first half (55-41), the Lebanese team lost control in the third quarter.
In the eyes of coach Jad Al-Hajj, the introduction of Jad Khalil proved to be the long-awaited solution. Indeed, his dynamism on the court reinvigorated the national team’s performance, putting them back in the lead thanks to two remarkable points scored by Karim Zeinoun and Amir Saoud and a devastating dunk by Spellman.
Olympic Games 2024
- How could Lebanon have qualified for the Olympics?
– If Lebanon wins its match against Iran on Saturday.
– If Japan loses its two matches against Venezuela and Cape Verde.
– If Jordan and China lose one of their two play-off matches.
– Should the Philippines lose one of their two play-off matches.
But, unfortunately for the country of the cedars, Japan won its match against Venezuela (86-77) last Thursday, making direct qualification for the Olympic Games impossible.
- How can Lebanon guarantee indirect qualification for the Olympics?
If Lebanon finishes the current World Championship as the second or third-best Asian team by winning its match against Iran this afternoon, it will have a great chance of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The match against the Iranian team takes place this Saturday, September 2, at 4:30 PM Beirut time.
