Nothing short of victory will do for Lebanon

Lebanon enters Sunday’s tie with Qatar, knowing full well that anything apart from a win will seriously damage their qualification aspirations. The two back-to-back home ties with Qatar and Uzbekistan have served up an intriguing prospect for the Cedars: a chance to grasp the ascendency and run with it. Hypothetically, if they collect a possible four points from the available six, it would assuage the pressure and help Lebanon enter their tiebreaker with South Korea more at ease. Nobody expects them to take anything from that match, but Lebanon would still be left with a tally of four points following three fixtures. Lebanon will resume matches in September, when they host Iran. A victory would see them reach seven points with four played. Next comes a daunting task, with two consecutive away games at Qatar and Uzbekistan. One point from the two games would be considered a coup and would leave team Lebanon on eight points, six games in. June 4, 2013, will serve as the date for the home match against South Korea, the team that Lebanon memorably defeated 2-1 one year ago to effectively book their spot in the second round of qualifying. With their wounds still fresh from that loss, South Korea will be attempting to exact revenge on the hosts, and will look for nothing less than a victory. If Lebanon can remarkably repeat history against the Koreans, then they will grace the 2014 World Cup stage. The key to qualification lies in the home matches and a win Sunday would jump-start Lebanon’s campaign. A loss would be demoralizing for the Cedars, and would cast a dark cloud over their slim hopes of qualification. Theo Bucker will undoubtedly apprise his team of what he expects. Lebanon, without Rida Antar tomorrow, have lost even more of their polish. Other members will have to step up their games if an impact is to be made. A win Sunday will catapult Lebanon from perennial pretenders to unlikely contenders. Victory is crucial and anything shy of that will leave Lebanon’s campaign in tatters just one game in. From / Daily Star