Subscribe for free to Al Diyar channel on YouTube
The Lebanese national football team will begin its preparations tomorrow, Tuesday, to compete in the Asian Nations Cup finals, which will be held in Qatar between January 12 and February 10.
The Lebanese Federation re-signed Montenegrin coach Miodrag Radulović to succeed Croatian coach Nikola Jurcević, who did not achieve the results he desired, as the team played 4 matches under his leadership, losing twice in friendly matches to Montenegro (2-3), and the Emirates (1-2), and tied with Palestine (1-1), and Bangladesh (1-1) also in the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup.
Radulovic (56 years old) previously supervised the training of the Lebanese national team between 2015 and 2019 and led it in the previous Asian Cup finals in the Emirates, where it achieved a historic victory over North Korea (4-1), its first in the history of the Asian Championship finals, while it lost to Qatar (0-2), and Saudi Arabia (0-2). Under his leadership, he also qualified for the finals for the first time from the qualifying portal, after his first participation in the Asian Finals in 2000 as a host country.
The match with Saudi Arabia next January 4 will be Radulovic’s first test with the Lebanese national team, as the match will be held in the Qatari capital, Doha, within the last camp of the Cedar national team, before facing the host country, Qatar, in its first match in the Asian Championship on January 12.
Radulovic summoned 29 players to enter the first training camp at the Tripoli Municipal Stadium, starting next Tuesday, the 19th of this month, with the participation of six professional players abroad, namely: Muhammad Ali Al-Dahini (Trelleborg, Sweden), Hassan “Sonny” Saad (Penang, Malaysia), and Daniel. Lahoud (Atlante, Mexico), Gabriel Bitar (Vancouver FC, Canada), and Leonardo Shaheen (Falkenbergs, Sweden), who will be the new face in the Lebanese national team after recently regaining his Lebanese citizenship.
The squad recorded the return of a number of stars to the national team, namely: Nour Mansour, Hassan Shaito “Shabriko”, Alex Melki, Khalil Badr, Muhammad Ali Al-Dahini, Gabriel Bitar and Daniel Lahoud.
Three players will be absent from the team due to injury, namely: Hassan Kourani, Jihad Ayoub, and Majed Othman, while the two professional players abroad, Basil Jradi (Thailand’s Bangkok United player), and Omar Shaaban Bughil (England’s IFC Wimbledon striker), will join the team on January 1.
The squad included 9 players from Al-Ahed, 5 from Al-Ansar, 4 from Al-Najma, 2 from Al-Burj, and 2 from Al-Safa, while what was notable was the call-up of a player from the second division clubs, Al-Salam Zghartawi goalkeeper Antoine Al-Duwaihi.
The players are:
Goalkeepers: Mahdi Khalil (Al-Faisaly of Jordan), Mustafa Matar (Al-Ahed), Ali Al-Sabaa (Al-Najma), Antoine Douaihy (Al-Salam Zgharta).
For defense: Hussein Al-Zein, Felix Melki, Khalil Khamis, Nour Mansour (Al-Ahed), Qasim Al-Zein, Maher Sabra (Al-Najma), Hassan Shaito (Al-Safa), Alex Melki, Nassar Nassar (Al-Ansar), Mohamed Hayek (Al-Burj).
For midfielders: Walid Shor, Hassan Sorour, Muhammad Haider (Al-Ahed), Ali Tanish, Yahya Al-Hindi (Al-Ansar), Muhammad Ali Al-Dahini (Swedish Trelleborg).
For the attack: Hassan Maatouq (Al-Ansar), Ali Al-Hajj (Al-Ahed), Khalil Badr (Al-Najma), Mohamed Kadouh (Al-Safaa), Hilal Al-Hilweh (Al-Burj), Hassan “Sonny” Saad (Penang, Malaysia), Daniel Lahoud (Atlante, Mexico), Gabriel. Bitar (Vancouver FC, Canada), Leonardo Sahin (Falkenburghs, Sweden).
Lebanon and Qatar will cut the tape on the Asian Championship finals when they meet on Friday, January 12, at Lusail Stadium in the Qatari capital, Doha, at six o’clock in the evening, Beirut time.
The Lebanese national team will play its second match on Wednesday, January 17th, facing China at Al-Thumama Stadium at 1:30 pm Beirut time, before facing Tajikistan at Al-Sadd Club’s Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, next Monday, January 22nd, at 17:00 pm. Beirut.
2023-12-16 22:04:34
#Calling #players #including #AlAhed.. #Lebanese #national #team #begins #preparations #Asian #Championship #Tuesday #George #Aoun
