The matches of the international Beirut Cup in basketball started with a game between the national teams of Lebanon and Iraq, which ended with a "Lebanese" victory by a margin of 3 points, 71-68. The quarters ended as follows: (16-17, 38-31, 55-53) at the Ghazir Club.
The event was attended by Brigadier General Mikhael Moussa representing the Commander of the Lebanese Army, General Joseph Aoun, Captain Qzahia Hatem representing the Director General of General Security, Major General Elias Beeri, the President of the Lebanese Olympic Committee Pierre Jalakh, Treasurer of the Olympic Committee, Attorney François Saadeh, the First Vice President of the Asian Federation and President of the Lebanese Basketball Federation Akram Halabi, heads and members of delegations from the participating countries, the head of the organizing committee of the event and the Secretary General of the Lebanese Basketball Federation, Attorney Charbel Michel Rizk, along with sports figures, members of the basketball federation, and several former basketball stars.
In terms of the match atmosphere, the beginning was close, and Lebanon's head coach Jad El Hajj did not start the game with naturalized player Norville Beal, who arrived in Lebanon just hours before the match, before he joined the game after 4 minutes into the first quarter, which ended with Iraq leading 17-16. This was akin to a phase where each coach was reading their opponent's strategies, with Serbian coach Milan Serbic at the helm of Iraq. It’s worth noting that the Lebanese lineup was missing the top Asian Championship player Wael Arakji, along with Ali Haidar, Karim Zainoun, and Karim Azeddine for various reasons.
Despite Beal's return to the bench after scoring 8 points with 6 rebounds in 6 minutes during the first half, coach El Hajj outperformed Serbic with the brilliance of Gérard Hadidian and Hayek Ghiokjian, who were key players under the basket and contributed effectively to the 38-31 lead for Lebanon at halftime. From the Iraqi side, Ali Ismail and Farid Barouski stood out offensively, each scoring two three-pointers, although the naturalized Iraqi player Demario Mayfield did not score any points during this time, reflecting the strong defensive performance of the Lebanese players.
The defensive performance of the Iraqi team improved in the third quarter, and their players managed to gradually close the gap to equalize at 51-51, before ending the quarter 55-53 in favor of Lebanon. The Lebanese team advanced 69-61 but fell into the trap of "turnovers" multiple times (26 total turnovers compared to 20) due to Iraqi defensive pressure. The gap narrowed to one point at 69-68 with less than a minute left, prompting Jad El Hajj to call a "timeout". The match concluded with a "Lebanese" score of 71-68, and Norville Beal was named the game's MVP. Beal scored 18 points with 17 rebounds in 21 minutes of play, and Gérard Hadidian added 14 points with 6 rebounds while Hayek Ghiokjian contributed 13 points and 9 rebounds; Amir Saud scored 8 points with 7 assists. For Iraq, Ali Ismail scored 18 points with 5 rebounds, and Ihab Al-Zuhairi added 10 points and 5 rebounds.
**Coaches' Opinions**
After the match, each coach expressed their views. Jad El Hajj stated that the Lebanese team performed well, noting that players should have been more focused, yet they made a remarkable effort, including Beal, who arrived in Lebanon only two hours before the match. Serbian coach Milan Serbic expressed his complete satisfaction with the performance of his players against a strong opponent, confirming that his team's level would improve further, knowing that this was his first match with the Iraqi team.
**Schedule**
Here is the tournament schedule:
* Sunday, February 18, 2024 - Palestine vs. Lebanon at 16:45 - Iraq vs. Syria at 19:30
* Monday, February 19: Day off for all teams
* Tuesday, February 20, 2024 - Iraq vs. Palestine at 15:30 - Lebanon vs. Syria at 17:45
