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Lebanon’s dream of a historic breakthrough in the Asian Cup came to an end in an intense clash against Tajikistan at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium. The match, which took place in a packed stadium attended by some 15,000 passionate Lebanese, was marked by a solid defense by the Cedars. Unfortunately, despite the massive support of the crowd, Lebanon failed to secure the victory they needed, eventually losing 2-1 and ending their hopes of qualifying for the second round of the competition.
A Promising Start Overshadowed by Bad Luck
The match between Lebanon and Tajikistan got off to a strong start for the Cedars, but the opening moments were not kind. A crucial shot from Hussein Zein, followed by a header from Omar Bugiel, were saved by the opposing keeper. Lebanon then took control of the match from the 8th minute, with intense attacking pressure. Captain Hassan Maatouk delivered an exceptional shot, but it was saved by goalkeeper Yatimov. Despite a high level of attacking play, Lebanon failed to find the back of the net.
The Tajiks exploited their physicality, while Lebanon, having already lost three crucial players, resisted with good defending from Kassem el-Zein, who thwarted a strong move in the 20th minute. In the 27th minute, Dzurhaboev was shown a yellow card for an abrupt tackle on Lebanese pivot Omar Bugiel.
Tajikistan regained control of the match from the 30th minute onward, but Lebanon hit back with a counter-attack featuring a fine off-target shot from Hassan Maatouk in the 34th minute. A fabulous counter-attack followed with a precise pass from Maatouk to Bassel Jradi, who fired past the goalkeeper.
However, in the final seconds of the first half, Tajikistan scored an offside goal, adding an element of controversy to the picture.
Second Half: An Ephemeral Goal and the Challenges of Reducing to 10 Players
The second half got off to a spectacular start with a superb goal from Bassel Jradi, who fired home from distance in the very first minute.
Unfortunately, the euphoria was short-lived, with Kassem Zein unintentionally fouling Tajikistan’s number 10 in the 55th minute, receiving a red card and reducing the Lebanese team to 10 players.
Following the loss of Zein, Hassan Maatouk left the field, giving way to Walid Srour in a technical change aimed at strengthening the defense. Despite their best efforts, Tajikistan found the back of the net in the 70th minute, again challenged for offside, but then scored another goal in the 81st minute with an unstoppable free-kick into the net guarded by Moustafa Matar.
With pressure increasing and the Lebanese team suffering from the reduction to 10 players, Tajikistan managed to score their second crucial goal in the 90th minute. The referees added 16 minutes of extra time, but Lebanon failed to reverse the fate of Group A, finishing last with just one point from a possible nine.
Qatar’s 1-0 victory over China was exactly what Lebanon needed to progress to the second round of the competition. But Lebanon would have had to win their match against Tajikistan to reach this stage for the first time in their history.
