This Monday evening, two matches are set to take place in the third round of the Asian Cup football tournament currently held in Qatar. In the first match, Lebanon will face Tajikistan at 6:00 PM at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, and the "Cedars" team aims to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in its history during its third continental participation, following the tournaments in 2000 and 2019. The team, led by Montenegrin coach Miodrag Radulović, started the tournament with a loss to the host Qatar with a score of 3-0 in the opening match, followed by a goalless draw against China. Qatar secured the top spot in the group with six points ahead of the second-placed China (two points) and Tajikistan, which has one point, ahead of Lebanon on goal difference.
In the second match, Qatar will meet China at Khalifa International Stadium at the same time. The host team, Qatar, which is also the defending champion and has already secured its position at the top of the group, seeks to achieve a perfect record in the group stage by winning its third match. Additionally, Qatar aims to secure its tenth consecutive victory in the continental tournament, having won all seven of its matches in the previous edition held in the UAE, leading to their first title, along with two victories in the current edition against Lebanon and Tajikistan.
