Maldives 0-6 Lebanon: Kassas finishes it as Lebanon take control in Bishkek
Lebanon left Dolen Omurzakov Stadium with the result that mattered on October 1: a clean, emphatic 6-0 friendly win over Maldives in Bishkek.
The match changed early. Maldives, coached by Ali Suzain, were reduced to ten men when Ali Samooh was sent off in the 11th minute. From that point, the game became a difficult damage-control exercise for a side already facing a stronger opponent.
Lebanon, under M. Radulović, used the advantage professionally. The supplied official event feed does not detail the full scoring sequence, but the final score is clear: Maldives 0-6 Lebanon. The recorded goal events show Ali Kassas scoring in the 85th minute and again in the second minute of stoppage time, giving Lebanon a ruthless finish to a match they had firmly in hand.
Match picture
The red card to Ali Samooh in the 11th minute shaped the contest. Maldives had to play almost the entire match with one player fewer, forcing Suzain to manage a friendly that became distorted almost immediately.
For Lebanon, the task was to make the extra player count without losing focus. Kassas mattered because he gave the scoreline its final force. His goals in the 85th minute and at 90+2 showed Lebanon kept working until the end rather than easing out of the contest.
That is often the point of these October friendlies: not just the result, but the timeline. Who maintains standards late? Who switches off? Who takes the minutes seriously? Lebanon did.
Formations and team structure
The official lineups feed did not provide formations for either team.
- Maldives coach: Ali Suzain
- Maldives formation: not listed in the official data
- Lebanon coach: M. Radulović
- Lebanon formation: not listed in the official data
With no starting XIs or formation details supplied, there is no case for pretending certainty. The tactical reading has to stay with what the match data confirms: Maldives played with ten men from the 11th minute, Lebanon won 6-0, and Kassas added two late goals.
Key incidents
- 11th minute: Ali Samooh sent off for Maldives
- 85th minute: Ali Kassas scored for Lebanon
- 90+2: Ali Kassas scored for Lebanon
Stats supplied
The official statistics feed did not provide values for shots, possession, passes, corners, fouls, expected goals, or goalkeeper saves.
That limits the data package, but not the headline. Lebanon won 6-0, kept a clean sheet, and finished strongly.
One roster note: Ali Kassas is listed in the official match event feed as Lebanon’s late scorer, but he does not appear in the current Lebanon squad list supplied with this data package. The scorer reference has therefore been retained because it comes from the match events, while the roster discrepancy should be noted.
What it means
For Lebanon, this was a useful friendly: a big score, no concession, and late attacking output from Kassas. Radulović will take the result, but also the professionalism of seeing the match through.
For Maldives, the review starts with the 11th-minute red card. Suzain’s next priority is obvious: restore discipline, rebuild confidence, and make sure the next friendly offers a cleaner test of the team’s actual level.
The international friendly window continues with other fixtures carrying similar evaluation value, including Colombia vs Paraguay, Mauritius vs Sri Lanka, and China vs Palestine.
