Lebanon
Saudi Arabia
P. Maalouf (1'), Y. Sharara (5', 10')
Tries
A. Marghalani (7')
T. Moubarak (6')
Conversions
Even without a deep bank of reporting to lean on, this semi-final spelled out something plain: Lebanon Women 7s are further along as a sevens outfit. They didn’t need long to show it, either. Two strikes before Saudi had found their shape, then a composed reset after the break, and the job was effectively done.
There was a familiar feel to it. These sides met in pool play and Lebanon won comfortably; the margin narrowed here, but the pattern stayed the same. Saudi had moments and a finisher in Ameera Marghalani, yet Lebanon’s edge in decision-making and defensive organisation held. When the game asked for accuracy, they provided it more often.
The turn was the start. An opening-minute try from Priscilla Maalouf is a punch to the ribs in sevens, and it put Saudi into chase mode immediately. Lebanon then doubled down through Yara Sharara on five minutes, and with Tara Moubarak adding the extras at six, the scoreboard was already leaning heavily their way. From there, Lebanon could pick their moments, defend with width, and force Saudi to play from deeper than they wanted.
Saudi’s response, via Marghalani just before the interval, was sharp and entirely deserved. It came off the back of their best spell of continuity, and for a beat it asked Lebanon a question: could they absorb pressure without slipping off tackles or conceding cheap field position? The second half answered that. Lebanon recommitted to the gain line, tightened their tackle entries, and struck first again — Sharara’s second at 10 minutes — to restore the two-score cushion that let them manage the final exchanges on their terms.
Sharara was the difference-maker. Two chances, two finishes, and both came from reading the edges and backing her pace rather than forcing an offload that wasn’t on. Maalouf’s opener mattered just as much in context — it set the rhythm — while Moubarak’s conversion kept Saudi at arm’s length when the game was briefly alive. The one blot for Lebanon was discipline: Julia Zaydan saw yellow with a minute to play, an unnecessary invitation for late jeopardy in a knockout match. Saudi couldn’t take it.
Match Stats
YELLOW CARD
That failure to make the extra player count summed up Saudi’s day. They were competitive in contact for patches and found width for Marghalani’s strike, but they struggled to stack clean phases together when chasing. Too often they were static on the carry, which let Lebanon bring line speed and win the breakdown race without overcommitting. In sevens, the clock is your enemy; Saudi left themselves too much to do after 12-0.
Does 17-5 flatter Lebanon? Not really. They were worth the win, though they’ll know there were more points available if they’d been slightly crisper in the red zone after half-time. The bigger concern is the late card — discipline against better finishers will be punished — but the shape and scramble were good enough that even down a player they didn’t cough up another score.
For Saudi, the takeaway is clear and encouraging: they closed the gap from the pool meeting and showed they can hurt Lebanon when they earn front-foot ball. The work-ons are equally clear. Starts, restarts, and exits after conceding will define their ceiling; tidy those and Marghalani won’t be feeding on scraps. For Lebanon, this was the semi they needed — fast, controlled, and with their strike runner in form — and it sets a platform. Keep the discipline and the breakdown accuracy where it was for most of this match, and they’ll fancy finishing the weekend the way they began it: on the front foot and in control of the scoreboard.