The Lebanon basketball team renewed its victory over the Iranian team with a score of (81-77) in the second friendly match that took place on Thursday afternoon at the Nihad Naufal Complex in Zouk Mikael, attended by around two thousand spectators. The Lebanese team had previously won against Iran (73-66) in the first friendly match held on Wednesday evening at the same venue.
These matches are part of the preparations for the World Cup set to take place from August 25 to September 10. The second match was thrilling, in contrast to the first game, as Lebanon overcame a 15-point deficit to achieve a gratifying win in the final minutes, even though the Iranians appeared stronger than in the first match.
From the beginning, the Iranian team applied pressure (9-0) before the Lebanese team managed to end the first quarter trailing by only one point (19-20). In the second quarter, the points were closely contested, with the Iranians showing superiority in three-point shooting, finishing the second quarter with a score of (39-36) in favor of Iran.
In the third quarter, the guests maintained pressure while Lebanon attempted to return to the game, with the Iranian lead reaching 15 points, concluding this quarter with a difference of six points (59-53) in favor of Iran. In the final quarter, Lebanese players Amir Saoud and Hayk Kizirjian bombarded the Iranian basket with three-pointers, steadily narrowing the gap amidst ecstatic cheers from the crowd of all age groups for the Lebanese team, while the Iranian players lost their focus under Lebanon's momentum, leading to a final score of (81-77).
This remarkable match allowed the Lebanese team to achieve two emotional and friendly victories over Iran within 24 hours. The match was officiated by international referees Paul Sakim, Ziad Tannous, and Richard Hajj. Lebanese player Sergio Darwish was the top scorer with 24 points. After the match, the Lebanese players greeted the crowd and applauded the fans for their unwavering support throughout the game, even when the Lebanese team was trailing by a significant margin.
