Lili Iskandar

Layla "Lili" Iskandar (Arabic: ليلى "ليلي" اسكندر‎; born 16 May 2002) is a Lebanese footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Lebanese club SAS and the Lebanon national team. A versatile forward, Iskandar can also play as a winger.

Lili Iskandar
Iskandar with SAS in 2020
Personal information
Full name Layla Iskandar
Date of birth (2002-05-16) 16 May 2002
Place of birth Zgharta, Lebanon
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, winger
Club information
Current team
 SAS
Number 11
Youth career
Salam Zgharta
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Salam Zgharta (10)
2019– SAS (15)
National team‡
2018– Lebanon U20 13 (10)
2018– Lebanon 6 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:08, 23 December 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 January 2019

Starting out at Salam Zgharta in 2018–19, scoring 10 goals, Iskandar moved to reigning champions SAS. In her first season at the club (2019–20), she helped SAS lift their fifth league title, scoring 15 goals in the process.

Iskandar represented Lebanon at under-20 level, winning the 2019 WAFF U-18 Girls Championship as the competition's top goalscorer. She has also represented Lebanon at senior level since 2018.

Club career

Iskandar played for hometown club Salam Zgharta during the 2018–19 season, scoring 10 goals.[1][2] In 2019 she moved to reigning champions SAS. In the final matchday of the season, Iskandar scored a brace against EFP to help her side win the 2019–20 league title.[3] She ended the season with 15 goals,[2][4] scoring at a rate of more than one goal per game.[5]

In March 2020, Iskandar was due to go on trial to the under-19 squad of German club Werder Bremen;[2][6] however, the trial fell through due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][7]

International career

Youth

Iskandar's first international goal came on her debut for the Lebanon under-19 national team, on 24 October 2018, in a 2019 AFC U-19 Championship qualification match against Hong Kong.[8] She played four games during the qualifiers, scoring once.[9] Iskandar was the top goalscorer of the 2019 WAFF U-18 Girls Championship, which she won, with seven goals in five matches.[2][10]

In December 2020, Iskandar played two friendly games against Egypt, a 3–1 defeat and a 3–2 win, scoring in both games.[11][12] With her two goals against Egypt, Iskandar became the first player to reach 10 goals for the team.[13]

Senior

Iskandar's senior debut for Lebanon came on 8 November 2018, coming on as a substitute against Iran in a 2020 AFC Olympic qualification match.[14] Iskandar also played four games for Lebanon at the 2019 WAFF Championship,[9] helping her team reach third place.[15]

Style of play

Iskandar is an attacking midfielder with good finishing, who is also capable of creating attacking chances.[5]

Personal life

Iskandar speaks three languages: English, French, and Arabic.[5] Her idol is American footballer Alex Morgan, who she described as a "lady on and off the pitch".[16]

Honours

Club

SAS

International

Lebanon U18

Individual

Performances

See also

References
  1. "Lebanon (Women) 2018/19". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  2. Rocchi, Filippo (28 March 2020). "La giovane Layla "Lili" Iskandar alla conquista dell'Europa". Calcio femminile italiano (in Italian). Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  3. "SAS champions of the 2019-20 Lebanese Women's Football League!". FA Lebanon. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  4. "Lebanon (Women) 2019/20". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  5. "GameChangers: Lili Iskandar's unshakeable dream". The AFC. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  6. "ليلي إسكندر تلتحق بتمارين نادي فيردر بريمن الألماني". football-lebanon.com. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  7. "ليلي إسكندر ليوروسبورت: الكرة النسائية بحاجة للدعم و أطمح للإحتراف". arabia.eurosport.com. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  8. "Match Report of Hong Kong U19 vs Lebanon U19 - 2018-10-24 - AFC U-19 Women Championship Qualification - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. "Lili Iskandar - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  10. "THE WAFF- Lebanon crowned the "WAFF U18" title". www.the-waff.com. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  11. Mahfoud, Maroun (23 December 2020). "Lebanon's U-19 lose their first friendly". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  12. "فوز شابات لبنان على مصر وديّاً". The LFA (in Arabic). Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  13. ليلي اسكندر احتاجت فقط الى 13 مباراة لتصل لحاجز ال10 الأهداف مع منتخب دون 19 عامًا. [Lili Iskandar needed just 13 matches to reach her 10th goal with the U-19 National Team]. Instagram. FA Lebanon. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  14. "Match Report of Iran vs Lebanon - 2018-11-08 - AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  15. "WAFF Women's Championship 2019 Bahrain - Results, fixtures, tables and stats - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  16. FIFA.com. "Women's Football - News - New horizons for women's football in Lebanon - FIFA.com". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
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