Sporting Kansas City forward Soony Saad started for Lebanon on Wednesday in a 3-1 victory over Pakistan at Saida International Stadium. Walid Ismail (6'), Hussein Awada (14') and Zein Tahan (85') scored for Lebanon in the international friendly, while Kaleemullah (16') struck for the visitors.
Saad nearly found his way onto the scoresheet, including a shot that came inches from crossing the line, before coming off with 15 minutes remaining in the match. His left-footed shot from distance forced a fingertip save by goalkeeper Saqib Hanif to push the attempt over the crossbar. Later, Saad directed a glancing header toward the top corner only to see it again met by a sprawling stop.
"I'm glad to have been given the opportunity to start and show my potential," Saad said. "I felt very comfortable on the ball even in the challenging field conditions. This was a great result for the team to carry positive vibes into our final match. I'm excited to head to Thailand and get three points as a team, and to stay sharp and hungry for me individually."
Saad recorded his third career international appearance, having debuted last May against Oman and starting against Kuwait in November. The 21-year-old previously represented the United States at the youth level and became the first player in MLS history to appear for the Lebanon Men's National Team.
Wednesday's meeting was the third all-time between Lebanon and Pakistan, and the first in more than a decade. Pakistan, led by head coach Mohammad Al-Shamlan, fielded a roster featuring domestic-based players in the Pakistan Premier Football League, all of whom are age-eligible for the AFC U-22 Championship qualifiers later this year.
Giuseppe Giannini's Lebanon, No. 121 in the FIFA rankings, are preparing for their 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualifiying finale against Thailand on March 5 at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok. Lebanon is currently in third place in Group B behind Iran and Kuwait.
Sixteen countries will qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia, including the top two teams in each qualifying group and the best overall third place team. Lebanon is mathematically eliminated from finishing in the top two of their group, however, The Cedars are only one point back of Iraq in the third-place standings. Iraq will host The People’s Republic of China in their final group stage match on March 5.
