Haiti kept Lebanon at bay

In the first qualifying match for the quarter-finals in A Pool, the confident B Pool group winners Lebanon and the A Pool team Haiti faced each other. Haiti won 3:0 (1:0, 0:0, 2:0) in a thrilling match that was characterized by suspense.

After a fiercely contested opening phase in which the Haitians seemed more agile, Plaisir opened the scoring for Haiti in the 8th minute on a pass from Alphonse-Sauvageau and Mailly-Pressoir. The Lebanese gradually got into their stride, but were repeatedly thwarted by the Haitians' massive defence or missed a great chance alone in front of goalkeeper Augustin. 

Lebanon increased the pressure at the start of the second period, but failed to score. Haiti responded to the penalty against Lebanon with a well-organized power play, but goalkeeper Skaff could not be put under pressure.  The game developed into an open and thrilling transition game in which both goalkeepers distinguished themselves with great saves. Both teams impressed with their fighting spirit and fast-paced play, but fell short when it came to finishing. As a result, Lebanon was unable to capitalize on a powerplay shortly before the end of the third period.

In the final period, Lebanon allowed Haiti to increase the score to 2:0 through ST-Surin after an unnecessary foul with 9 minutes to go. Two minutes before the end of the game, Lebanon put all their eggs in one basket and replaced the goalkeeper with an extra outfield player. Dorvil intercepted a misplay and scored to make it 3:0.