2024-03-15 10:32:06
NNA – The Lebanese national football team delegation left for Sydney to complete the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup finals.
Our team will meet Australia in two matches, the first will be held on the 21st of this month in Sydney, and the second will be held on the 26th of this month in Canberra (counted as Lebanon’s territory).
The Lebanese team had played two matches in the ninth group, in which it is ranked second following collecting two points from two draws once morest Palestine Slea 0-0 and Bangladesh 1-1 respectively (in Sharjah, which is considered the home ground for the Lebanese team). It will face the group leader with a full score, as the Australians opened the match. Their journey in the qualifiers was a landslide victory over Bangladesh 7-0, and then they defeated Palestine 1-0 last November in Kuwait (counting as a home ground for the Palestinian team).
The two strongest matches for our team in these qualifiers come amid absences that have struck its ranks, as it is missing a group of players with experience on the international scene for various reasons, as the team is missing from the squad the duo of Hussein Zein and Felix Melki and his brother, Al-Ansar defender Alex, in addition to the Indonesian PSS player Salman, Jihad Ayoub. , Hassan “Sonny” Saad, and Qasim Al-Zein, who was suspended following being sent off in Lebanon’s last match in the Asian Cup once morest Tajikistan.
Hence, Montenegrin coach Miodrag Radulovic tried to choose a balanced squad consisting of 25 players, which included some notable call-ups, as in addition to the return of right-back Abdullah Maghrebi, “Radu” called up Al-Safa defender Hussein Charafeddine, and the young attacking duo Leonardo Sahin (20 years old). who plays in Sweden and Jackson Khoury (21 years old), who plays in the United States.
Al-Ansar midfielder Nader Matar and Al-Ahed striker Karim Darwish also returned to the squad following their absence from the continental championship finals.
Shaheen and Khoury had participated in the national team’s internal camp that was held in Tripoli on the eve of the Asian Cup, and their summons came following they obtained a Lebanese passport, within the framework of the gradual renewal plan that our team is expected to know before reaching the two decisive rounds of the qualifiers next June, as work is being done on Files for issuing identification papers for players of Lebanese origin in order to include them in the national team following agreeing to represent their home country, following direct contact with them by the coach.
In this context, Radulovic commented: “Unfortunately, we will not be able to rely on important players in the two matches once morest Australia, and we were hoping that our squad would be complete, especially since those absent from us had been well immersed in the playing system that the technical staff began to establish since his arrival to supervise the national team.” “. He added: “These absences harm us and affect the chemistry that the team has reached during the work we did between the end of last year and the beginning of the new year. But we have to think positively somewhere, based on merging some names with those who are already present, as we will need all the capabilities.” available in the coming period amid the challenges that await us.”
He continued: “I chose the best available players, especially those who performed positively under our eyes during the league matches, and we added to them young faces who look promising for the future. Our main goal remains to reach the best combination before the month of June, which will be the turning point during which we will work to secure our qualification once once more.” New to the Asian Cup and continuing the journey in the World Cup qualifiers.”
Here is Lebanon’s lineup:
Goalkeepers: Mustafa Matar (Al-Ahed), Mahdi Khalil (Al-Safa), Ali Al-Sabaa (Al-Najma).
• For the defense line: Nassar Nassar and Muhammad Ali Dhaini (Al-Ansar), Abdullah Maghribi and Maher Sabra (Al-Najma), Khalil Khamis and Nour Mansour (Al-Ahed), Hassan Shaito and Hussein Sharaf Al-Din (Safaa).
• For midfielders: Hassan Maatouq, Nader Matar, and Ali Tanish (Al-Ansar), Mohamed Haider, Hassan Sorour, Walid Shor, and Ali Al-Hajj (Al-Ahed), Basil Jaradi (Bangkok United of Thailand), Daniel Lahoud (Atlante of Mexico), Gabriel Bitar (Vancouver). Canadian FC).
• For the offensive line: Karim Darwish (Al-Ahed), Omar Shaaban (IFC Wimbledon, England), Leonardo Shaheen (Falkenburgs, Sweden), Jackson Khoury (Tormenta FC, USA).
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