Another difficult test awaits the Lebanese national football team against one of the strongest teams in the world, as they face Australia tomorrow at 10:45 AM Beirut time at the "Geo Stadium." This match is part of the fourth round of the ninth group in the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup.
The good performance displayed by our team in the first encounter against Australia last Thursday gives hope for a result similar to that performance, especially as they learn from the mistakes of the previous match. This point was emphasized by Montenegrin head coach Miodrag Radulovic during the press conference held this morning, where he stated: "I can say that we played a good first match, and the result did not match our performance. Tomorrow is again a difficult match, but we will try to correct the mistakes we made, and to be more effective in attack. I expect again a good performance, but with a much better result."
Through his remarks to the media, "Rado" is looking to make adjustments to his starting lineup, aligning with his strategic approach for the match against the Australians, who appeared strong in many aspects. This was echoed by player Basel Gradi in the press conference, who said: "What we saw from them was expected. A strong and physically tough team. I watched Australia during the World Cup when they played against Denmark where I was born and raised, and they managed to win. So, I already realized how strong this team is." He added: "Of course, they leave some spaces, but we must be at our best to defeat them."
At the same time, Gradi compared the match that the "Cedar Men" played against Australia in 2018 with the recent match last week to indicate his team's ability to compete with their opponent last Thursday, unlike the game played six years ago. The coaching staff, in the days following the delegation's arrival in the Australian capital Canberra, focused on showcasing the key moments encountered by our team in the first match to inform the players of the positives and negatives, hoping to achieve a positive result after the team appeared at a good level, especially in the second half, where they threatened the home side's goal on several occasions, but were unsuccessful in scoring due to bad luck on one side and the outstanding performance of Australian goalkeeper Matthew Ryan on the other.
Undoubtedly, the good performance of the national team, according to the opinion of the majority of followers and the local audience, should instill some confidence in them to achieve the best possible result in a match against a world-class team, especially after understanding what awaits them on the pitch.
