The Lebanese and Qatari national teams will kick off the Asian Cup finals tomorrow at 18:00 Beirut time, when they meet in the opening match at Lusail Stadium, as part of Group A, which also includes China and Tajikistan. Both teams are striving for an ideal start to establish a successful journey in the tournament, having encountered similar circumstances recently due to coaching changes. The Montenegrin technical director, Miodrag Radulović, has returned to Lebanon, while the Qatari federation has appointed one of the most successful coaches in recent years in the Spanish league, Marquez Lopez, to lead their team following his successes with Al-Wakrah.
The two teams also met in the previous edition held in the UAE in 2019, where the "Maroon" team achieved its first victory with a 2-0 score, paving the way towards the championship podium to secure their first title in the continental tournament. After 11 days from their arrival in Doha, our national team is ready to compete in the continental tournament aiming for qualification to the Round of 16 for the first time in its history, having come close to this achievement in the last tournament. Radulović emphasized this during a press conference held today at the media center, stressing his confidence in the players: "Everyone knows that results in football don't come overnight, but as I said before, I know many players from my previous time with the Lebanese national team, and this group combines experience and youth. Our last two matches have shown that we are on the right path."
Team captain Hassan Maatouk echoed his coach's optimistic sentiments, considering that the match against Qatar is undoubtedly difficult, "but our focus is very high, and the work we have done during this period should yield great results for us." He added: "We won’t hold back anything, and with our fighting spirit, we can achieve everything."
Additionally, the team visited the famous Lusail Stadium today, which hosted the final match of the 2022 World Cup, touring its facilities and examining its perfectly prepared ground for the opening match before a full stadium that accommodates 88,966 spectators. The President of the Lebanese Football Federation, Engineer Hashim Haidar, arrived in Qatar, visited the national team at their residence, and addressed the players, reaffirming the federation's support and commitment to provide everything needed for them, "because you are the ones who will make the event happen. We have done what we can with the resources we have, and the rest is up to you." He continued: "I have complete confidence in you, and this is not just something I say in front of you. The proof of your abilities is what each of you demonstrated against the Saudi national team, and everyone agrees that Lebanon has players capable of delivering more and better performance." He concluded: "If you continue with the same spirit, determination, and focus, you can reach your goal. Honestly, the near future of football is in your hands and those of your coach, and we have great hope in you and look forward to celebrating with you in this tournament."
Opening match statistics:
- The Asian Cup reaches its 18th edition.
- The match against Qatar will be the 40th for Radulović with Lebanon, surpassing the late Adnan Al-Sharqi, making him the second most-capped coach to oversee Lebanon after the German Theo Bücker (44 matches).
- Ten Lebanese players in the current lineup played in the 2019 Asian Cup.
- The match will be officiated by Australian referee Alireza Faghani, who previously led the famous match where Lebanon won against the UAE 3-1 in Beirut during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
- The Asian Cup is held in an Arab country for the seventh time in the last 14 editions.
- Qatar becomes the first country to host the Asian Cup in stadiums that hosted matches in the World Cup.
- All three previous opening matches between Arab teams ended in a 1-1 draw.
- Qatar has not won in the three opening matches it has played in the Asian Cup (one draw and two losses).
- The score of 1-1 is the most recorded in opening matches six times, all involving Arab teams.
- Nine teams have been crowned champions in the Asian Cup.
- Japan holds the record for the most Asian Cup titles with four.
- Four Arab teams have won the Asian Cup title: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Qatar.
