Lebanon's Olympic team loses to Uzbekistan 2-3

Our national Olympic team (under 23) began its campaign in the 2026 AFC U-23 Championship with a 3-2 loss to Uzbekistan in a match held at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Lebanese team started the match in an organized manner during the first ten minutes, employing high pressure, which resulted in creating several opportunities. However, Uzbekistan's attacks on the other end resulted in the first goal in the 24th minute, ending the first half with Uzbekistan leading 1-0. In the second half, the Uzbek team extended its lead with two goals in the 50th and 57th minutes. Despite the goal difference, the Lebanese team continued its efforts with high spirits and great determination, and managed to reduce the deficit with two goals scored by Leonardo Shahin in the 56th and 90+5th minutes. The Lebanese team's lineup for the match was: goalkeeper Anthony Maassari, and players: Khodr Qaddour (Ali Al-Rida Ismail 61), Jad Samira, Hassan Farhat, Mohammad Safwan, Mohammad Ghamloush (Hassan Fouani 61), Mahmoud Zbib (Daniel Istambouli 75), Ali Al-Fadl (Shadi Jouni 83), Nour Awdeh (Mohammad Sadek 61), Leonardo Shahin, and Ali Qassas. Our national Olympic team will face their South Korean counterparts on Saturday, January 10, at 1:00 PM Beirut time, in the second round of the group stage, at Al-Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The other match in the same group saw Iran and South Korea draw 0-0.