Lebanon’s 93-74 victory over South Korea was not just another victory in the 2027 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The national team ended a knot that it had never broken in the World Cup qualifiers, and it did so without its captain, Wael Araqji, after it was 41-38 behind at the end of the first half.
The real transformation happened after the break. Lebanon scored 55 points compared to 33 for Korea, and ended the last quarter with a score of 30-14. The victory came not only from an exceptional attacking night, but also from clear physical superiority. The team won the rebound battle 51-30, scoring 27 points from quick attacks, while forcing Korean star Lee Hyun-joong to settle for 11 points from 3 hits in 11 attempts.
Most importantly, Lebanon did not wait for a single player to save it. Youssef Khayyat scored 21 points, and Omar Gamal El Din came off the bench to score 16 points and 10 rebounds. This is perhaps the most important message conveyed by the match. The team, which used to rely on Arakji or other names, proved that a new generation can bear responsibility, not just give the leader a few minutes of rest.
But the next test against China on Monday, August 31, will be different. The Chinese team opened the second round with a huge victory over Qatar 83-57, and was based on the anchor duo of Yang Hansen and He Jinqiu, who together scored 25 points and 17 rebounds. He also finished the match with 22 assists and only six fouls, which means that Lebanon will not easily obtain the balls that allowed them to make a quick start against Korea.
The confrontation is slightly tilted towards China due to the territory and superiority in height, but Lebanon’s chances are real. If he controls the rebounds and increases the speed of play, he can hit China’s relatively slow center. However, if the match turns into an organized and slow attack, Arakji’s absence may become more apparent. Lebanon has additional motivation, as it won the last confrontation between the two teams 72-69 in the 2022 Asian Cup, even though China leads historically with 12 victories to two.
After seven matches, Lebanon leads Group F with six wins and one loss, ahead of Japan with five wins, then China and Qatar with four. The top three teams qualify, in addition to the best fourth-placed team, while Qatar automatically qualifies as the host country and is excluded from the final standings.
Victory over China will raise Lebanon’s tally to 7 victories and give it a comfortable margin before hosting Japan on November 26, then playing the return leg of Korea, with it facing Japan outside its home country and China in Lebanon during the final window.
Lebanon has not yet qualified, but it is in a very strong position. Reaching eight victories could practically put him on the verge of the World Cup. What the victory over Korea proved is that the team has more than one star, but what must be proven now is its ability to repeat the same performance away from Zouk Mikael.
