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Lebanon's Adam Doueihi could face a Rugby League World Cup suspension after he was sent off for dissent as his side blew a promising start to fall to defeat at the hands of New Zealand.
- Adam Doueihi is facing a likely suspension for dissent towards the referee
- It is not known what he said that elicited a penalty and the send-off in the 60th minute
- Lebanon only trailed 18-12 against their highly fancied opponents, before New Zealand kicked away late
The Kiwis were made to work for their 34-12 victory in Warrington, but the talking point will centre on Doueihi's second-half dismissal.
Lebanon kicked off in the 60th minute after New Zealand's pivotal fifth try and NRL referee Grant Atkins halted play after Kiwis fullback Joey Manu came down with the ball after some help from his teammates running interference.
It was not immediately clear what had happened, but Atkins quickly pointed to the sideline, ordering Doueihi off the field at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
The Wests Tigers playmaker faces a possible ban from Lebanon's remaining two group games against Ireland and Jamaica and, depending on the severity of what he said, a suspension could extend into the 2023 NRL season.
It was a sorry end to a game that, for a spell, looked like it could be the source of an unlikely upset.
The Cedars were gallant against the heavily fancied Kiwis after scoring the first try through Josh Mansour.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Kenny Bromwich and Peta Hiku hit back for New Zealand before Lebanon winger Abbas Miski cut the deficit to 18-12 at the 50-minute mark.
Any hope of a comeback was quelled by tries for Dylan Brown and Joey Manu shortly after, with Doueihi's dismissal coming shortly after that.
Winger Jordan Rapana, who kicked five goals from six attempts for the Kiwis, rounded out the victory with a late try.
AAP