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Two months before the World Cup qualifying matches, the Lebanese team took part in the 49th edition of the annual “King’s Cup 2023” soccer tournament organized by the Football Federation of Thailand.
Being a host country, Thailand is automatically present at the tournament, alongside India, Iraq, and Lebanon.
The match was held at the “700th Anniversary Stadium” in Chiang Mai in front of a crowd of 17,000 Thai fans.
First half
During the first half, the Lebanese team showed a solid defense but struggled to be effective in their attack. The Thai team, on the other hand, was quick and created several counter-attacks, one of which was stopped by Mostafa Matar, the Lebanese goalkeeper, in an individual duel against the Thai player Sarachat.
From the 30th minute onwards, the Lebanese team progressively went on the offensive, creating some great opportunities, notably the crucial shot by Lebanese star Hassan Maatouk, which unfortunately hit the post in the 35th minute.
However, the Cedars team conceded a goal in the last minute of added time, at 45+7 minutes, following a goal scored by Lebanese player Jihad Ayoub.
Second half
Lebanon had been on a roll throughout the second half, managing to equalize at 1-1 thanks to a magnificent pass from Hassan Maatouk to Bassel Jradi. Lebanon’s coach, Aleksandar Ilić, tried to change the dynamic of the game, replacing Hilal El Helwi with Karim Darwich and Soony Saad with Majd Osman. However, the Thai team took the upper hand from the 80th minute onwards, complicating the Lebanese game, and eventually scored the winning goal in the 85th minute thanks to a fine header from a Thai player, Teerasil.
Iraq qualifies for the final
Iraq booked their place in the final by winning a penalty shoot-out (5-4) against India, following a 2-2 draw.
Following their defeat, the Lebanese national team must now prepare well for the small final against India, with the aim of securing a place on the podium.
The Lebanese team will compete in the World Cup qualifiers in November, facing Palestine, Australia, and the winner of the match between Bangladesh and the Maldives.
