With its usual effectiveness, the Asian champion Qatar team secured a win in the opening match of the Asian Cup by defeating Lebanon 3-0. The match took place at the Lusail Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha. The impact of the home ground, the support of the fans, along with the experience of Qatari players, particularly the exceptional performance of star Akrm Afif, played a significant role in achieving this important victory at the beginning of their title defense. However, the score was harsh based on the match's events, as the Lebanese team put in a notable effort, especially in the first half, and came close to scoring on several occasions, with similar opportunities arising in the late second half.
Caution prevailed during the first fifteen minutes before both teams began to attack. The most dangerous opportunities for Lebanon came from captain Hassan Maatouk, who struck a powerful shot in the 21st minute that was saved by goalkeeper Meshaal Barshim. He also thwarted another shot from Hussein Zain four minutes later. Akrm Afif was the most dangerous player for the "Maroon" team, utilizing a decentralized style in his movements. He headed the ball against the crossbar in the 31st minute before benefiting from a pass from Almoez Ali inside the area, scoring with precision to the left of goalkeeper Mustafa Matar just before halftime.
Defensive errors cost our team two goals in the second half. The first came from an unmarked header by Almoez Ali who converted it from close range in the 57th minute, and the second occurred in the sixth minute of stoppage time due to individual effort from Akrm Afif. Although substitute Omar Shaaban had two chances, he failed to score from a shot and then from a header.
Despite the loss, Montenegrin coach Miodrag Radulovic praised his players' performance in the post-match press conference, stating they "put in a tremendous effort and did not deserve to lose by such a score, which we will put behind us to immediately prepare for the match against China." "Rado" considered that the first goal came after a clear error against defender Qassem Zain and stated that Qatar's star Akrm Afif "decided the match for his team with his high individual skills, which designate him as one of the best players in Asia, even capable of playing in Europe."
Lebanon's lineup included: goalkeeper Mustafa Matar, players Alex Melki, Qassem Zain, Noor Mansour, Hussein Zain, Nassar Nassar (Soni Saad 80), Walid Shour (Hassan Sarour 69), Ali Tanish, Mohamed Haidar (Omar Shaaban 69), Basel Gradi (Gabriel Bitar 80), and Hassan Maatouk (Hilal Al-Halawani 69).
