Al-AIN: Lebanon coach Miodrag Radulovic said his team were playing “against 12 or 13” as he slammed the referee in an extended rant after Asian Cup defeat by Qatar.
Radulovic said Chinese referee Ma Ning had ruined Lebanon’s chances by ruling out a first-half goal which would have put them 1-0 up against the 2022 World Cup hosts. Qatar eventually won the Group E game 2-0 after second-half goals from Bassam Al-Rawi and Almoez Ali, leaving Lebanon waiting for their first ever Asian Cup win. “It’s difficult to talk after such a game because I teach my team to play 11 against 11 players, but (this was) 11 against 12 or 13,” fumed the Montenegrin. Ali Hamam’s volley on was ruled out for a shove by Lebanon’s George Felix Melki, a decision that enraged the animated Radulovic. Qatar finally got their breakthrough 20 minutes into the second half from a free-kick just outside the box which was given for Hassan Maatouk’s handball. Radulovic claimed the referee was “not 50-50”, saying that Qatar committed “more than 20 fouls” but did not receive any yellow cards. (AFP)
