Pak Kwang-ryong converted his free-kick in the ninth minute to give North Korea an early advantage. Lebanon, however levelled the score just before the half hour mark when Hassan Maatouk dribbled down the left before laying off for Felix Michel Melki, who smashed the ball into the back of the net. Hilal El-Helwe’s effort was cleared off the line in the 32nd minute. Felix came close to scoring his second in the 57th minute but angled his header across the bar. In the 65th minute, Mohamad Haidar’s cross found El-Helwe who turned to score from close range. North Korea conceded a penalty after Rabih Ataya was brought down in the danger area. Maatouk converted the spot-kick in the 80th minute, sending goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk the wrong way, with a fourth coming in the eighth minute of added time through Hilal El-Helwe as Lebanon won their first ever Asian Cup encounter. However, Lebanon was edged by Vietnam in the third-place ranking on fairplay points due to receiving more yellow cards, and were eliminated from the tournament. This loss extended North Korea's winless streak, with their last win dating back to their fourth place finish in the 1980 edition.