Lebanon needed to win by four clear goals to advance but despite a valiant effort, they fell just short.
Pak Kwang-ryong converted his free-kick in the ninth minute to give DPR Korea an early advantage, only to see his attempt cancelled out as Lebanon fought back strongly to score four consecutive goals thanks to Felix Melki (27’), Alhelwe (65’), Maatouk (80’) and Hilal Alhelwe (90+7) to bag the full three points.
The resounding triumph, however, was not enough to send Miodrag Radulovic’s side through to the knockout stage, with Vietnam outplaying them on the fairplay rule to qualify through the narrow gate.
The Golden Dragons have joined Thailand to become the two representatives of Southeast Asia in the 2019 Asian Cup knockout stage in the UAE.
After the match, Vietnam and Lebanon had the same number of goals scored (four), points (three) and goal difference (-1). However, it was the the Golden Dragons who booked the last knockout ticket with better disciplinary points, as they conceded only five yellow cards compared to Lebanon’s seven (including two in the match against DPR Korea).
Vietnam qualify for the knockout stage of the 2019 Asian Cup as one of the four best third-placed teams in the group stage.
Next up for Vietnam will be a round of 16 clash on January 20 with Group B leaders Jordan, who impressively recorded two wins and one draw in the group stage.
