“After Qatar, we put up another good performance against China PR and it’s great to collect our first point of the tournament,” said Lebanon head coach Radulovic.

 

“We hit the post twice and, on so many occasions, all we lacked was a simple pass that would have slotted the ball in and do justice to the hard work the team put in. So, even though it’s not the ideal result, I am pleased to not come back from the match empty-handed.”

Despite the early setback of Nour Mansour's injury, the Montenegrin expressed his appreciation to the Cedars' defenders as they finished the match with a clean sheet, and remains confident of Lebanon's prospects heading into their final Group A match against debutants Tajikistan, who suffered a 1-0 defeat to defending champions Qatar on Wednesday.

 

“Mansour is a key member of the squad and I think the defence line did a great job without having him for most of the match,” he said. “It’s certain aspects of our attacking side that need improvement. I’ve watched Tajikistan play and I think they have a strong team, but I am optimistic about our chances.” 

Despite having to settle for a second consecutive goalless draw, China PR head coach Aleksandar Jankovic admitted to being delighted with two back-to-back clean sheets.

 

“It was a tight game and I think we did really well under pressure,” said Jankovic. “The idea was to keep possession, block counters, and maintain a sense of stability – all of which the squad did well so I have no complaints.”

“I was not satisfied with our performance in our first match but I can’t say that today, as we had more than 60% possession and were quite dangerous on several occasions,” he said.

 

“In both matches, we almost got a win after we introduced some fresh legs to the game. But football is also a little bit about luck, and we’ve not been on the receiving end yet.”

 

China’s fate is still very much in their own hands as a win against already qualified Qatar will confirm them as the Group A runners-up.