Lebanon's National Team Wins Against the Philippines in Asian Qualifiers

The Lebanese men's basketball team defeated the Philippine team with a score of 85-81 in a match held this evening at the "Nihad Naufal Sports and Theater Complex" in Zouk Mikael. Lebanon began its matches in the "fourth window" of the Asian qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup in Group 5, which also includes New Zealand, the Philippines, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and India. The Lebanese team needs two wins from six matches to officially qualify for the World Cup for the fourth time in its history, following appearances in 2002 in Indianapolis, USA, 2006 in Manila, Philippines, and 2010 in Istanbul (via wildcard purchase). It is noteworthy that the two teams have faced each other 12 times, with their last match on July 13 during the Asian Cup finals, which ended in a Lebanese victory by 15 points with a score of 95-80. Interestingly, the next match will also be the 13th encounter in the history of the two teams in all events, with Lebanon holding 10 victories compared to two for the Philippines.