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The Lebanese U18 team starts the UEFA friendly tournament with a frustrating defeat, despite fierce resistance.

The Lebanese U18 women's national team began its journey in the UEFA friendly tournament with a narrow defeat against Tanzania (0-1) on Monday, on the pitch of the Hasan Doğan sports complex in Istanbul.
The only goal of the match was scored in the 85^th minute by Winfrida Gerald, whose low shot found the bottom right corner of the Lebanese net, despite a solid performance from goalkeeper Marcelle Skaiki, who made several decisive saves throughout the game.

A Balanced First Half, a Fatal End to the Match

The first half was marked by an intense tactical battle, where both teams neutralized each other without managing to shake the nets.

After returning from the locker room, the Lebanese players increased their offensive attempts, striving to destabilize the opposing defense through various incursions. However, Tanzanian pressure intensified towards the end of the match, leading to the fatal opening goal for Lebanon.

Lebanese Team Lineup

The Lebanese coach fielded Marcelle Skaiki in goal, surrounded by Ayana Rezkallah, Haya Najjad, Paula Karam, Lynn Moutran, Cécile Iskandar (70' Tatiana Kanaan), Céline Bitar (45' Luna Khazem), Sherren Karnib, Lea El Hage Ali, Mariam Hamoui (45' Elissa Hariri) and Maryam Ladkani (45' Sherin Hasno).

Finland Leading the Group

In the other group match, Finland dominated Jamaica (4-0) and took the lead in the standings with three points, ahead of Tanzania (3 pts), Lebanon (0 pt) and Jamaica (0 pt).

The Lebanese team must bounce back in its next match on Thursday, April 3, at 11:30 AM (Beirut time), against Finland. The team will conclude the group stage on Sunday, April 6, at 12:00 PM against Jamaica.

The tournament follows a league format, where only the top team from each group will qualify for the final scheduled for April 9. The other nations will play ranking matches.