The Lebanese national football team delivered one of its best performances in a long time, as a single goal separated them from the Saudi team, which won 1-0 in the friendly match held at Al Wakrah Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha, as both teams prepare for the AFC Asian Cup starting from the 12th of this month.
Lebanon showcased a high level of tactical performance, with players showing great commitment to the strategy set by Montenegrin coach Miodrag Radulovic. They closed off avenues for the Saudi team in the first half, preventing them from creating any scoring opportunities, while Lebanon was actually closer to scoring, particularly in the eighth minute when captain Hassan Maatouk delivered a cross from the right that Omar Shaban directed towards the goal, but it was blocked by the Saudi defense before reaching the net. Lebanon also had two chances in the dying minutes of the second half that nearly equalized the score if it weren't for the brilliance of Saudi goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqeedi.
Radulovic made several adjustments to the starting lineup that played the previous match against Jordan, bringing in Mustafa Matar as goalkeeper, starting Ali Tneesh in midfield, and Omar Shaban in the attack. He began the second half with four substitutions, including two due to concerns for Hussein Zain and Walid Shour after a first half characterized by physical confrontations from many "Green" players. It is worth noting that Lebanon missed midfielder Felix Melki in this match due to a first-degree muscle tear in the adductor of his left thigh sustained during the last training session, which is expected to sideline him for 10 days to two weeks.
In the midst of the difficulties faced by the Saudis in creating chances and scoring, their Italian coach Roberto Mancini also made a number of substitutions, including before the start of the second half. Al-Buraikan was able to score the only goal in the 48th minute with a shot from close range. Sony Saad nearly equalized for Lebanon in the 90th minute with a strong direct free kick expertly saved by Al-Aqeedi with his fingertips to a corner kick. Just two minutes later, he came out to meet a long ball, and Daniel Lahoud attempted to play it as a lob towards the net, but the Saudi goalkeeper returned just in time to prevent it from reaching the goal.
The Lebanese lineup included: goalkeeper Mustafa Matar (Mahdi Khalil 46), and players Hussein Zain (Mohamed Ali Al-Dahini 46), Nour Mansour, Alex Melki (Maher Sabra 67), Qassem Al-Zein (Ali Al-Hajj 84), Nassar Nassar (Hassan Shaeito 84), Walid Shour (Hassan Sarour 46), Ali Tneesh (Daniel Lahoud 67), Mohammad Haidar (Sony Saad 67), Hassan Maatouk (Gabriel Bitar 67), Omar Shaban (Hilal Al-Halwi 46).
