AFC Asian Cup: 5 memorable openers [Lebanon vs. Iran]

AFC – KUALA LUMPUR, As the 2019 AFC Asian Cup UAE opener between the hosts UAE and Bahrain approaches, the-AFC.com looks at five memorable Asian Cup opening matches over the years.

The AFC Asian Cup opening match has not always seen the host have it easy, as there have been instances where we saw the host nation stunned on their home turf. Over the years, there were many a classic encounter which saw entertaining draws or a shock result that remains in memory.

2000: Lebanon 0-4 IR Iran

Lebanon had never qualified for the Asian Cup before 2000, and their introduction to the tournament was not an easy one. The draw pitted the Cedars against three-time winners IR Iran in the opening match.

While 52,418 fans gathered at the Camille Chammoun Sport City Stadium in Beirut, it was not enough for the home side to produce a memorable performance.

Karim Bagheri opened the scoring in the 19th minute for Team Melli, before Hamid Estili added two in the last 15 minutes of the game and Ali Daei put the icing on the cake in injury time to defeat Lebanon 4-0.