Mohamad Ghaddar scored a brace as Lebanon trounced India 4-1 in the first round of Asia's 2010 World Cup qualifying tournament in Beirut on Monday.
India took a shock lead in the 30th minute through striker Sunil Chhetri but Roda Antar levelled the score five minutes later to give the hosts the momentum in the first leg tie.
Lebanon took charge after the interval with three second half goals.
Two goals in the space of two minutes sealed the fate of the visitors. Ghaddar gave Lebanon the lead in the 61st minute and Mahmoud El Ali added another a minute later.
Ghaddar then scored his second goal of the night in the 75th minute to lead Lebanon to a convincing 4-1 victory.
India fielded a severely depleted side with goalkeeper Sandip Nandy and striker Abhishek Yadav returning home with injuries.
The second leg encounter will be played in Chennai on October 28.
Forty-three Asian countries are vying for four places in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
An additional berth in the 32-team finals is up for grabs for the fifth-placed Asian team if they can beat the winner of Oceania's qualifiers in a playoff.
© 2024 Rediff.com -