The Lebanese national football team is playing its second match in Group A of the Asian Football Cup against China this Wednesday, January 17, at 2:30 PM (Beirut time) at the Al-Thumama stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha.
The Lebanese team is aiming to overcome the defeat they suffered in their first match against Qatar while maintaining their ambitions of qualifying for the Round of 16. This will be possible if they beat China, which would put them in a comfortable position ahead of their third and final match against Tajikistan on the 22nd of this month.
Lebanon’s chances of achieving their first victory in the continental tournament look good, as the result of the first match did not reflect their performance. Despite considerable organization and the ability to create opportunities, inefficiency made the difference, with the Qataris scoring as many chances as their opponents.
It is precisely this issue that Montenegrin coach Miodrag Radulović has been working on since the first training session following the match against the “Qataris.” He mentioned at today’s press conference that he would be making adjustments to the formation for tactical reasons, resting certain players who put in a great effort in the first match “in order to guarantee constant vitality and the ability to perform the required defensive and offensive tasks.”
Rado’s changes will begin defensively, following the injury to left-back Nassar Nassar, who pulled his left thigh muscle, leaving his participation in the China match in doubt.
But it’s certain that Radulović will focus his main work on attack, as the national team needs to make up for its first defeat. He highlighted this issue at the press conference, saying, “We created 5 or 6 chances to score, and at this level, you need to score a goal for every two chances. We didn’t do that, but I’m convinced we’ll be better in that area tomorrow, and indeed, I’m optimistic about tomorrow’s game.”
For his part, midfielder-forward Bassel Jradi, in response to a question about what he expects from the match against the “Dragons,” said: “I know Chinese soccer is good. I play in Asia, and I respect China, of course. But when we take the field, we have 100% faith that we can beat them; otherwise, we wouldn’t be here. That’s what I know about China, and I hope the match will be good for us.”
In a similar context, the Lebanese public is preparing intensively for the match through urgent appeals encouraging the community to support the national team. The initiative of the Lebanese school, which informed parents that tomorrow would be a short study day to enable students to attend the match and support their national team, has been noticed. This is what the “Cedars” are counting on as they await the public in the face-off with a Chinese team also aspiring to take all three points after drawing their first match against Tajikistan.
Lebanon and China Cross Swords for the First Time on Neutral Ground
After five previous encounters, Lebanon and China meet for the first time on neutral ground.
After announcing his retirement from international soccer, captain Hassan Maatouk will leave the team with the longest career in its history, stretching 17 years, 11 months, and 19 days to date, surpassing previous captain Reda Antar, who defended Lebanon’s colors for 17 years, 7 months, and 11 days.
After playing in the opening match against Qatar, Mohammed Haidar became only the second player in the national team’s history to reach 90 international matches.
Furthermore, as a starter in the first matches of the Asian tournament, Nour Mansour became the ninth Lebanese player with the most international matches, equaling former star Artan Gazarian’s record of 66 international matches.
After announcing a record attendance for the opening match of the Asian Cup, Lebanon played in front of the largest crowd in its history, reaching 82,490 spectators.
