equalised for Lebanon to end the match 1–1. The draw was not enough as they finished last in the group, with only two points. Managed by Theo Bücker, Lebanon drew with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand in the first round of the 2002 World Cup qualifications. The team, with good offense from Roda Antar, Haitham Zein, Vartan Ghazarian, and Gilberto dos Santos, finished second in their group with 26 goals in six games (the most in their group). Under Richard Tardy, Lebanon drew into Group D of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Before the match away to North Korea, the Lebanese team were reportedly ill-treated; hotel conditions were poor, and their training field contained goats and sheep. Lebanon finished third in their group, with four points. For the second round of the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, Lebanon were grouped with South Korea, Vietnam, and the Maldives. Under Mahmoud Hamoud, they finished second in their group and were eliminated. 2006–2014: Final round of World Cup qualification and match fixing Lebanon drew into Group D for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign with Australia, Bahrain, and Kuwait, played in 2006. The scheduled meeting between Australia and Lebanon made Buddy Farah, an Australian player of Lebanese descent, declare his return to the Lebanese national side. Before Lebanon's match with Bahrain on 16 August, it was announced on 1 August that the Asian Football Confederation had accepted a withdrawal request from the Lebanon Football Association due to the 2006 Lebanon War, which forced several players to leave their homes to avoid the war. In 2007 Lebanon was seeded in the first round of the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, where they faced India to qualify directly for the third round of the qualifiers. Lebanon won 6–3 on aggregate and advanced to the third round, with two goals by Mohammed Ghaddar in the second match. Lebanon, grouped with Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Uzbekistan, finished last with no points. In April 2008, Lebanon and the Maldives (the two lowest-ranked teams in Asia) played home-and-away matches in the preliminary round of the 2011 Asian Cup; the winner would proceed to the next round. A 4–0 home win and a 2–1 victory in the away match advanced Lebanon to the qualifying round. Between 2009 and 2010, they drew into Group D with China, Syria, and Vietnam, finishing last. Emile Rustom, re-appointed as head