SAFF Championship 2023: Maatouk fires Lebanon into semifinals with a 1-0 win over Maldives

Hassan Maatouk’s goal proved to be enough as Lebanon bagged all three points, becoming the only team in the tournament to win all three of its group-stage matches.

A goal at last: Hassan Maatouk celebrates scoring against Maldives in the SAFF Championship 2023 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, India. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media

Lebanon booked its place in the semifinal of the 2023 SAFF Championships after clinching a 1-0 win against the Maldives at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday. The Cedars, who finished as the Group B topper, will face Group A runner-up India in the semis.

Lebanon captain Hassan Maatouk’s goal proved to be enough as Lebanon bagged all three points, becoming the only team in the tournament to win all three of its group-stage matches.

The clash had a tepid start as play was mostly restrained to the middle of the park.

Both teams looked keen to win the midfield battle in the opening five minutes. But as the first quarter progressed, Aleksandar Ilic’s Lebanon started to stamp its dominance in the game, playing some expansive football from the flanks.

Lebanon created its first chance of the match in the seventh minute after Abdul Razzak Dakramanji’s cross from the left was headed just off-target by Maatouk.

The Maldives replied with its own attacking threat three minutes later – Ibrahim Aisam, bringing the ball down outside the box, went for a goal on the volley only to see the ball sail out of play.

Captain Lebanon: Maatouk was a cog in the midfield as well as in attack, against Maldives in the last group-stage match in the SAFF Championship 2023. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Cedars got their breakthrough in the 23rd minute from a freekick.

Maatouk was brought down by Hussain Nihaan just outside the box, and Lebanon’s skipper chose power over precision, rattling the bottom-left corner with a blinder of a shot.

Three minutes later, he had a chance to grab a brace from a free header inside the box as a cross came in from the right from Zein Al Abidine Farran. Trying to place the ball in one of the corners, Maatouk sent the ball straight to Maldives keeper Hussain Shareef.

Though the Maldives created openings in the final third, the Cedars were efficient in thwarting the limited danger posed by the Snappers and finished the first half on a high.

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The narrative remained the same in the second half, with Lebanon starting on the front foot. It had two chances in the opening five minutes, with half-time substitutes Karim Darwich and George Felix Melki at the centre of the action.

Darwich’s chance came in the 46th minute from a point-blank header, which he pushed above the crossbar. Two minutes later, Melki went for a bicycle kick from the edge of the box, which forced an acrobatic save from Shareef.

Three points done and dusted: The Cedars celebrate the win which secured a semifinal spot for them in the SAFF Championship 2023. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

While Lebanon tried to split the Maldives backline with its passing football and use of the flanks, the Snappers countered that with shots from a distance, with most efforts missing the target by a considerable margin.

Francesco Moriero urged his team to push forward from the touchline, and the Maldives started showing some sense of urgency from the 65th-minute mark, mainly operating from the flanks and putting low crosses inside the box.

But none of them posed any substantial threat, and the Cedars backline dealt with the balls without fuss.

Maldives’ only consolation in the match was putting the Lebanese defence under the cosh for the final ten minutes. Otherwise – despite winning by a solitary goal – Lebanon proved superior to the Maldives in all departments.