Iraq’s ascendancy continued after the break and finally bore fruit just before the hour mark, with a goal bound initial effort from Alaa Abbas saved by Lebanese goalkeeper Mahdi Khalil, before Ali found the back of the net with a follow-up attempt.

In their first competitive fixture under Romanian head coach Liviu Ciobotariu, Lebanon pushed for an equaliser but Iraq held firm to take all three points from the tournament opener.

Hosting the competition for the first time, Iraq are aiming for their first WAFF Championship title since their 2002 success in Syria.

YEMEN 0-1 PALESTINE

Palestine also made a successful start to the competition, as debutant Yaser Hamed Mayor scored in a 1-0 win over Yemen in Tuesday’s late kick-off.

The Palestinians started brightly, creating several early scoring opportunities and it came as little surprise when Spanish-born Hamed Mayor capped his first appearance for Palestine with the opening goal in the 26th minute.

Following a cross from Islam Batran on the right flank, veteran defender Abdallatif Al Bahdari got his head to the ball, directing it towards Hamed Mayor who nodded the ball home.

Consistent forays forward meant Palestine were unlucky not to add to their lead in the remaining minutes of the opening period, before Yemen began to show more promise after the interval.

Yemen’s best chance at finding an equaliser came via Omar Ali’s 82nd-minute free-kick, but goalkeeper Rami Hamada produced a fine save to seal three early points for Palestine, who claimed their first international win of 2019.

The two winners on opening night will come face to face when the five-team Group A continues on Friday with Iraq facing Palestine, while Syria’s campaign will begin against Lebanon.

Photos: AFP