Winning for the fans and making history motivate us - Lebanon's Ali Haidar

BEIRUT (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Lebanon made history to begin their Asian Qualifiers second round campaign after they defeated China for the first time ever.

One of the big reasons the Cedars won was the heroic performance of big man Ali Haidar, who tallied 26 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals against the mighty Chinese, leading Lebanon to a huge overtime victory, 92-88.

Haidar credits the team's performance to their composure in the endgame. He knows that some of their errors allowed China to come close to winning, but he also knows that when push came to shove, he and his teammates came through.

"Against China, you have to give your 100% and be focused from the beginning of the game until the last second," Haidar said after the historic result. "When we made a couple of mistakes, they came back into the game. We cannot make those mistakes again. We have to build on our lead and take it slowly. Hopefully, we learn from our mistakes because the competition is just going to get better and better."

With more than 6,000 Lebanese fans in attendance and passionately cheering their national team, the Cedars proudly left everything on the floor, refusing to lose even when they stared at a 5-point deficit with barely 90 seconds to go. With the weight of history upon them, the Lebanese rose to the occasion, and Haidar knows that they would not have been able to do it if not for their fans' unending support.

"This is what motivates us - to win for the fans and for Lebanon," he shared. "We want to make history and to challenge ourselves."

Looking ahead, however, Haidar knows that this kind of performance may not be enough to defeat their next foes, New Zealand, who have not lost in their last six games and are fresh off a dominant win over Syria. Haidar admits that making the same mistakes they did against China may cost them dearly when they face the Tall Blacks to close out the fourth window.

"We need a great performance to have a chance to beat New Zealand," he said. "It's a hard situation right now to have to leave immediately, but they have to do it just like us. Hopefully, we perform better, and we have a chance to beat them in their home court."

Lebanon will play New Zealand at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua on 17 September 2018.

FIBA