An early blow in Sydney left the Cedars chasing the game in the first clash of a daunting double-header.
Early Setback at CommBank Stadium
Lebanon’s national team opened its March window of Group 9 qualifiers with a 0–2 loss to Australia at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, a western suburb of Sydney. The match formed part of the joint qualification process for the 2026 World Cup in North America and the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Goals in the Fifth and 54th Minutes
Australia took the lead as early as the fifth minute when Keno Bacus sent in a high, dropping ball from the right that bounced off the post and into Mustafa Matar’s goal. Any hopes of a Lebanese comeback faded after the break, when Kai Rolls doubled the advantage in the 54th minute with a shot from inside the box that clipped the top corner before crossing the line.
Looking Ahead to the Return Fixture
The defeat set the stage for a second encounter just days later in Canberra, officially counted as a home game for Lebanon despite being played in Australia. With no FIFA-compliant stadium currently available in the country, the Cedars are forced to treat neutral or away venues as “home”, adding another layer of difficulty to an already demanding qualifying path.
For Lebanon, the task is not only to fix tactical issues but to find psychological resilience in the face of logistical and competitive challenges that few other teams in the group have to manage.
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