The Lebanon national football team will lose its striker Karim Darwich for the Asian Cup finals taking place in Qatar next month due to a knee injury sustained yesterday during his team's match against Al-Bourj in the Lebanese football league. An MRI scan conducted on the player today revealed a partial tear in the ACL, meaning he will be sidelined for a period of 6 to 8 weeks. National team physiotherapist Eli Matni indicated that "this type of injury may require a longer recovery time of up to two and a half months, but fortunately, Karim will not need to undergo surgery and will follow a specific rehabilitation plan to return to the pitch." Matni explained: "The primary cause of the injury was the way Karim landed after jumping for a header, which resulted in a severe twist to his knee causing the partial tear."
Darwich, who has scored 5 goals in the league, had opened the scoring for Al-Ahed yesterday against Al-Bourj before suffering his injury, which is a significant blow for the national team as he has become one of its key players in the striker position. He has represented Lebanon in 19 international matches, scoring 3 goals.
In another development, the Lebanese Football Association announced today that our national team will play a friendly match against Saudi Arabia on January 4 in the Qatari capital, Doha, before facing the host and title holder in their opening match of the Asian Cup on January 12 at Lusail Stadium. Group A will also see China and Tajikistan face off on January 17 and 22, respectively.
