Al Annabi’s return to Asia ended in a narrow loss against Lebanon.

New inclusion Brandon Goodwin-led late surge proved insufficient as Qatar suffered a narrow defeat against Lebanon in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 opener on Wednesday.

Al Annabi fell short by four points despite a strong fourth quarter as Karim Zeinoun came clutch in The Cedars’ 84-80 win at the King Abdullah Sports City.

Hakan Demir’s side came within touching distance of their higher-ranked opponents, the scoreboard clocking 79-78 with less than a minute to play.

Goodwin, who managed to switch allegiances just in time to be included in Qatar’s squad, led the fightback, finishing with 33 points.

Abdulrahman Saad, Qatar’s second-highest point getter of the night, managed 15.

But it was Zeinoun who broke the Qatari hearts, scoring his side’s last five points to weather the storm and finish with 10 points to his tally.

“It was a very tough game,” Lebanese head coach Miodrag Perisic said. “Every time, the first game is very hard in every championship, to open in a good way. But in the end, we won, and we deserve this victory.”

It was the Maroons’ first continental tournament appearance in over eight years after failing to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Indonesia.

“The result of the Asia Cup is important for the players’ confidence,” Demir told FIBA, the sport’s global governing body in May.

 “Of course, we know we are in the top group, but I believe we can make it a surprise, and either way, we will improve every year until 2027.”

The narrow loss against The Cedars is also the latest in a chain of improved performances that Qatar have put on since Demir took over.

He masterminded a comeback which saw the Maroons finish 4-2 with back-to-back wins, including their first against Iran in over 19 years, to qualify for the tournament.

Qatar’s next challenge will be against South Korea on Friday, in what will be a must-win clash if the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup hosts want to go into the clash against defending champions Australia with their chances of advancing still alive.