Fans at Asian Cup opener in Qatar make early exit again

By the hour mark, despite the home side enjoying a 2-0 lead over Lebanon at the time, the Lusail Stadium in Doha appeared to be about half-empty, an 'AFP' reporter said.

At kick-off the venue had appeared almost full, with the official attendance given as 82,490 - just 6,000 short of capacity. By the last 10 minutes there were swathes of empty seats.

Qatar is not a traditional footballing nation, but the government has pumped money into the sport since it was handed the rights to host the 2022 World Cup.

At the World Cup the home side's games regularly ended in front of rows of empty seats, although they did lose all three games. Friday's match was the first of the 24-team Asian Cup, which runs until February 10.