Mashhad: Lebanon will look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, while Iran’s focus rests on clinching top spot in Group A when the two sides meet in their final AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar™ Group A fixture on Tuesday.
A 3-0 home loss to already-eliminated Syria last time out did severe damage to Lebanon’s hopes of reaching their first ever global Finals via June’s playoffs but results elsewhere mean Ivan Hašek’s retain a glimmer of hope going into Matchday 10.
Three points behind third-placed United Arab Emirates, and two short of fourth-placed Iraq, the Cedars can still claim the playoff spot for themselves should they defeat high-flying Iran, in addition to results in the group’s two other fixtures all their way.
Even the first element of that scenario is no easy task.
Team Melli hasn’t lost a FIFA World Cup Qualifier on home soil since November 2012 and has been similarly difficult to beat there in this campaign, with Son Heung-min the only player in Group A to find the back of the net for a visiting team in Iran.
Dragan Skočić’s side – who qualified for Qatar 2022 weeks ago – will welcome back Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who missed Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to the Korea Republic due to COVID-19, while Sardar Azmoun is expected to lead the line in the absence of Mehdi Taremi, who also returned a positive test prior to the match in Seoul.
But while the Iranian squad is filled with European-based stars, Lebanon’s biggest task may well be to overcome the disappointment of Thursday’s defeat.
With a playoff place on offer, the Cedars failed to perform in Saida, slumping to a disastrous 3-0 defeat to a side that had taken just two points from their previous eight matches in Group A.
That result came as a devastating blow, but Iraq’s win over the United Arab Emirates a few hours later meant that Lebanon’s campaign retains a sense, however slight, of final day optimism.
Hašek and his players may well take confidence from their earlier meeting with Iran, played last November, when a Soony Sadd goal had Lebanon 1-0 ahead going into second-half stoppage time, only for late goals from Azmoun and Ahmad Nourollahi to dramatically snatch all three points for the visitors.
The Lebanese outfit also seems to thrive away from home. While their five home games have produced only a solitary point, they have taken five from four matches on the road, with their only away defeat coming against group leaders the Korea Republic.
They have never beaten Team Melli in Iran, but they did famously claim a 1-0 win in a World Cup Qualifier in Beirut back in 2012.
If the Lebanese class of 2022 can shrug off the disappointment of last week’s defeat and produce a shock of their own, all eyes will turn to Dubai, where the results of both the United Arab Emirates and Iraq will reveal the final twist in what has been a dramatic Asian Qualifiers tale.
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