KUALA LUMPUR: Lebanon made a sweet debut in the Merdeka Tournament after edging defending champions Tajikistan 1-0 to reach the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
Tajikistan, who won the competition last year after beating Malaysia 2-0 in the final, were not able to challenge Lebanon throughout the 90 minutes.
Lebanon, ranked 116th in the world, did not wait long to pierce their opponents’ goalmouth after Jihad Ayoub connected with a header off a teammate’s corner kick in the 13th minute.
Tajikistan, ranked 103rd in the world, tried to bounce back but were let down by their forwards.
The slim advantage of the Miodrag Radulovic-led squad remained until the final whistle, thus sending them into the final on Sunday.
Lebanon await either Malaysia or Philippines in the final.
The surrounding area near Bukit Jalil, which used to be filled up by thousands of spectators one hour before the Malaysian team play, is a little bit quieter than usual this time.
Only an estimated 3,000 tickets have been sold compared to previous matches involving the national team and this has been attributed to the decision by several state branches of the Ultras Malaya deciding to boycott the Merdeka Tournament.
These fans claim that they were seeking justice over the criminal cases on national footballers which had not been solved, the sudden resignation of national coach Kim Pan-gon and also attacks on fans during league matches in the past.
The Ultras Malaya were formed in 2007, which brought together fans from all walks of life regardless of religion, economic status and educational background. They are a group of fans from various states.
