The Lebanese national football team suffered its first loss in the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup, falling to host Australia 0-2. The match took place at Commbank Stadium in Parramatta, west of Sydney, during the third round of matches in Group 9, which also includes Palestine and Bangladesh, who are set to play today at 20:30. With this result, Australia raised its points to 9 from three consecutive wins, while Lebanon has 2 points from two draws and one loss, and both Palestine and Bangladesh have 1 point each.
The Lebanese team showed good performance in some periods of the match against a high-level opponent ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings. However, the match dynamics and the Australians' superiority in crucial technical aspects tipped the scales in favor of the hosts in front of 27,000 spectators, including many members of the Lebanese community who came to support their national team. Unfortunately, Lebanon was unlucky in the first half against one of the strongest Asian teams, conceding an early goal, specifically in the 5th minute when Kiano Bacchus attempted a cross from the right, which found its way to the far right corner, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Mustafa Matar after rebounding from the post.
The goal did not dampen the fighting spirit of the Lebanese players, particularly the defenders who bore the brunt of the pressure and the excessive roughness from the Australians. They released themselves at times after exchanging short passes that allowed them to approach the hosts' penalty area, but the crosses attempted from both sides were intercepted by experienced defenders who dealt with them perfectly.
As Lebanon tried to be more offensive at the start of the second half, the hosts regained possession, aiming to exploit any defensive mistakes to score again. This occurred when a corner kick reached an unmarked Kai Rolle in the 54th minute, and he powerfully converted it with his left foot, causing the ball to rebound from the right post into the net.
Despite Australia’s solidity, the "Cedars" managed to reveal their attacking face and created dangerous chances, including a shot from Ali Tanish "Sisi" from inside the area just six minutes after the second goal, which goalkeeper Mat Ryan saved with difficulty. Coach Miodrag Radulović played all his attacking cards in an effort to score a goal to reduce the deficit, with the most notable opportunity coming from substitute Daniel Lahoud, who threatened the Australian goal twice, including a powerful shot that hit the left post in the 82nd minute. Ryan also excelled in saving a free kick from another substitute, Karim Darwish, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, and witnessed a dangerous header from Lahoud that went just beside the right post.
The Lebanese delegation will travel by land to the Australian capital, Canberra, which is a 4-hour drive from Sydney, where the two teams will play their second match counted as Lebanon's home game next Tuesday.
Representing Lebanon: goalkeeper Mustafa Matar, and players Nassar Nassar, Khalil Khames, Walid Shour, Maher Sabra, Hassan Chaitto, Ali Tanish (Nader Matar 78), Hassan Sarour (Mohammad Haidar 46), Hassan Maatouk (Daniel Lahoud 66), Bassel Jaradi (Gabriel Bitar 85), Omar Chaaban (Karim Darwish 78).
