Lebanon
Oman
O. Arnous (0'), M. Akar (4'), M. Medlej (8'), L. Zaloum (11'), T. Nsouli (12')
Tries
M. Dhikhri (3', 5')
W. Nsouli (2', 7', 11')
Conversions
S. Humphrey-Reverdy (3')
This one said more about control than chaos. Lebanon 7s had enough strike to trade blows early, but what separated them was composure at the key moments and a bench that finished. Oman 7s had the game’s most dangerous runner in Majid Said Ali Al Dhikhri and, for a spell, the momentum. Then came the cards, and with them the end of their challenge.
Sevens is brutal on indiscipline and Oman discovered it the hard way. Two late scores once Oman were down a man turned a tight contest into a comfortable margin. Lebanon didn’t need to be flashy; they just kept their shape, held the ball when it mattered and picked the right edges once the space inevitably appeared.
The hinge was Lebanon’s response after Oman levelled. Dhikhri’s brace dragged it to parity at 12-12, but Lebanon didn’t blink. The next meaningful punch came from the heavy traffic: Michael Medlej muscled over to tilt the game back their way and, just as importantly, settle Lebanon’s rhythm. In a match with plenty of broken-field running, that was the first moment someone took control rather than just traded breaks.
Earlier Lebanon had set the tone straight from the kick-off with Omar Arnous slicing through, and Muhammad Akar added a well-timed support finish. Those weren’t just quick points; they were statements of intent at the gain line. Oman clawed back through Dhikhri’s pace and instincts, but they were living off moments rather than phases. When the game needed possession discipline and better decision-making in the red zone, Lebanon had it and Oman didn’t.
From there, it became a lesson in closing. Walid Nsouli went three from five off the tee — in sevens, those extras stretch pressure — and kept Lebanon calm in exit and kick receipt. Off the bench, Laurent Zaloum and Talal Nsouli brought fresh legs and clean lines. Both tries in the last three minutes came from simple, ruthless use of width once Oman’s numbers thinned, with support runners flooding past the tackle rather than throwing the 50/50 offload. Smart sevens.
Oman’s downfall was as stark as it was avoidable. Dhikhri, their spark in attack, finished with multiple sanctions and a red card, and that left them chasing with six. You cannot defend a full width and contest the breakdown a man down. The edges went first, then the inside shoulders. Up to that point Oman had threatened in transition — notably through Dhikhri’s direct running — but their breakdown accuracy faded and their spacing deteriorated under fatigue and scoreboard pressure.
Match Stats
YELLOW CARD
RED CARD
Lebanon will still have work-ons. Conceding two tries in three minutes to the same carrier speaks to soft shoulders and poor initial spacing after kick reception; better outfits will punish that more ruthlessly. But the response was exactly what you want in a promotion-chasing campaign: reset, win the next kick-off, squeeze territory, and trust your finishers. In the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy — the pathway tier beneath the Series — that sort of composure is what separates genuine contenders from flat-track bullies.
For individuals, Medlej’s timing mattered more than his tally; his score was the momentum check. Arnous and Akar’s early finishes were about work-rate and support lines rather than flair, and they set Lebanon up to play with the scoreboard. Walid Nsouli’s boot and tempo gave the platform for the bench to cash in. On the other side, Dhikhri was both Oman’s hope and, eventually, their undoing. When he stayed on the field he gave them punch. Once he didn’t, everything unraveled.
Does the 31-12 margin flatter Lebanon? A little, because at 19-12 with time on the clock there was still a contest. The late two-try burst owed plenty to Oman being short-handed. But that’s part of sevens: you force teams to live on the edge, and then you make the most of the cracks when they appear. Lebanon did exactly that.
Lebanon leave Aqaba’s second round top of their pool, armed with evidence that they can ride swings and finish strong. The next step is tightening the defensive reloads so early lapses don’t gift momentum to better-structured sides. Oman, two defeats in, have shown they can score but cannot afford to carry their own handbrake. Sort the discipline, tidy the spacing, and the attack built around Dhikhri and Sacha Humphrey-Reverdy’s restarts can make them awkward opposition. Until then, they’re giving games away faster than they can win them back.