Lebanon defeats France in golden point finish at World Cup
Sunday 1 November 2026 · 3 outlets · 5 reports · updated 
Lebanon secured a 24-20 victory over France in a golden point finish at CommBank Stadium. The match was described as a see-sawing affair that reached a dramatic conclusion during the final minutes of regular time.
Key facts
4 facts
- Lebanon defeated France 24-20 in golden point
- Match held at CommBank Stadium
- Abbas Miski scored the winning try
- Alex Twal and Julian Bousquet were involved in a confrontation in the 76th minute
The full story
1 min read · 3 outlets
Lebanon secured a 24-20 victory against France in a golden point finish at CommBank Stadium. The match was described as one of the great moments in international rugby league.
The game reached a peak in the final minutes of regular time when tensions flared between Alex Twal and Julian Bousquet. Following the incident, Bousquet was sent to the sin bin and was subsequently followed by Twal.
In the dying seconds of regular time, Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet scored a try after a fumble by Lebanon's Shadi Hammoud, but the Bunker ruled the ball had not been grounded.
After a field goal was ruled out due to a blocker by Thomas Lacans, Abbas Miski scored the winning try in golden point. Lebanon's Alex Twal stated, "I’ve got goosebumps, I’m so proud to be Lebanese".
How it developed
- Sun 1 Nov, 11:37pmThe match was a see-sawing affair that ended in a golden point victory for Lebanon after a series of dramatic events in the final minutes.
Where reports differ
- The reports primarily focus on different matches, with reports 1 and 2 focusing on the Tonga v Samoa match, while report 5 focuses on the Lebanon v France match.
Compiled from reports by NZ Herald, RNZ and Stuff.
