In 1933 Nassif Majdalani founded the very first sports federation in the country, the Lebanese Football Association and a year later the Lebanese national team played its first game against Romanian side Altak at the Municipal stadium in Beirut.
The first ever game for the Lebanese national team was in 1934 at the Beirut Muncipal Stadium against Altak (???) from Romania, which ended in a 0-0 draw. The team that day was Sargisian, Loino, goalkeeper Tanous Bakazi, Adil Sidani, Sabih, Abu Shala, Saioun, Janoun, Jacque Shehab, Labib Majdalani, Anwar Pierre, and the rest striker Emile Nassar, Ahmed Jumaa, Husseini, captain Salah Falah, Malkonian, Tourous, Raafit. (Number of players is very unclear)
The first game with Syria was in 1939 at the Habib Abu Shala Stadium and ended 5-4 to Syria. Labib Majdalani, Saifaddin Sidani and Emile Nassar 2 scored the goals. The same year the team traveled to Damascus to play a match at the Barada stadium in a game refereed by Syrian international referee Adam Mashnuk, and ended in a 6-1 win to Beirut, with goals from Labib Majdalani 3, Emile Nassar (2) and Ahmed Jumaa. These games were played between Damascus XI and Beirut XI selections.
An unoffical Iraq national team (representing the ministry of Education) toured Lebanon and Syria, playing several club sides and Syria and Lebanon national teams in 1944. Not much is known about this tour, but Iraq lost 1-4 in Beirut; in 1945, Iraq beat Lebanon 4-1 in Baghdad. The Iraqi coach was Englishman George Raynor (later coach of Sweden, Lazio, Juventus, and several other clubs).
Beirut XI
1935 Beirut Beirut XI 0-2 First Vienna FC
1936 Beirut Beirut XI 0-1 France (Military)
1939 Beirut Beirut 2-1 Damascus
1939 Damascus Damascus 1-6 Beirut
1947 Beirut Beirut 5-1 Damascus
1947 Damascus Damascus 1-3 Beirut
1952 Beirut Beirut 0-1 Damascus
1952 Damascus Damascus 8-2 Beirut
1953 Damascus Damascus 1-0 Beirut
1953 Beirut Beirut 2-2 Damascus
1954 Beirut Beirut 3-1 Damascus
1954 Damascus Damascus 5-1 Beirut
1956 Beirut Beirut 2-0 Damascus
1956 Damascus Damascus 1-2 Beirut
1959 Damascus Damascus 4-1 Beirut
1959 Beirut Beirut 2-1 Damascus
1963 Beirut Beirut 2-1 Damascus [16-6-63]
1963 Damascus Damascus 0-0 Beirut [21-6-63]
various other Lebanon representative matches
1954 Arab Military Championship (Damascus Exhibition Championship)
1954 Damascus Lebanon 3-7 Iraq
Mardek Chabarian 3; Nassir "Chiko" Yousef 5
1954 Damascus Lebanon 2-5 Syria
Mardek Chabarian, Levon Altonian
23.01.1955 Beirut Lebanon 2-3 Bulgaria
Mardek Chabarian, Joseph Abu Murad; Todor Diev,
Georgi Dimitrov, Dimitar Milanov
Lebanon: Samih Shatela, Samik, Yousef Yemout, Manuel
Altonian, Emile Salih, Metri Shouiti, Fawzi Kanj,
Yousef Hani, Kamal Shatela, Joseph Abu Murad,
Mardek Chabarian, Levon Altonian.
29.02.1956 Beirut Lebanon 1-4 Hungary
Mardek Chabarian; Sándor Kocsis, Peter Palotas,
Ferenc Puskás (2)
NB: the idea of bringing the Hungarian team to Lebanon came after LFA
President Azzat Al-Tark and vice-president Khalil Helmi saw the
Hungarians play in Cairo for a friendly game against Egypt in 1954,
with the Hungarians winning 3-0. The LFA President met with the head
of the Hungarian delegation requesting to play a friendly game in
Beirut, and two years later the team arrived in Lebanon to play two
matches.
Lebanon Squad:
GK: Samih Shatela (Al-Nejmah), Mohammed Chahine (Shabibe Mazraa),
Dekran (Homentmen)
DF: Yousef Yamout (Al-Nejmah), Samek (Homenmen), Eli Salih (Racing
Club), Manuel Altonian (Homentmen).
MF: Fawzi Kanj (Racing Club), Aris (Homenmen), Joseph Abu Murad
(Racing Club), Kamil Shatela (Al-Nejmah).
FW: Mardek Chabarian (Homenmen), Levon Altonian (Homentmen), Robert
Shehada (Shabibe Mazraa)
coach: Joseph Nalbandian, former keeper of Lebanon, Homentamen,
Nahda and Helmi Sport
The Hungarians also played the Beirut Select XI winning 6-0;
in their match in Damascus against Syrian club Al-Jaish they won
4-0 with a hat-trick from Ferenc Puskas and one from Sándor Kocsis.
1957 Dynamo Moscow 7-1 Lebanon
Mardek Chabarian
1957 Lebanon 1-0 Energia Flacara Ploiesti
(opening game at Sports City Stadium)
Joseph Abu Murad
1957 Greece (Mil.) 1-3 Lebanon
Levon Altonian, Mardek Chabarian, Robert Shehada.
1957 Leipzig 4-3 Lebanon
Levon Altonian 2, Joseph Abu Murad
1957 Bulgaria (B) 0-1 Lebanon
Joseph Abu Murad
1957 Spartak Trnava 2-2 Lebanon
Mardek Chabarian, Samek
list of international matches Lebanon
Source for Beirut-Damascus matches: "Le Jour" (Beirut newspaper), articles from June 1963
Prepared and maintained by Hassanin Mubarak and Neil Morrison for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Authors: Hassanin Mubarak and Neil Morrison
Last updated: 29 Sep 2020
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