Aluminium - Fayoum 1-0 in the 14th round of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A

Despite changing the head coach, Fayoum SC continues its terrible series of results, which can only lead them closer to the already visible relegation to the Third Division. On Thursday, 27 December, Fayoum played away at Aluminium Nag Hammâdi, and lost again, 1-0, due to a goal by Cyril Maher in the 68th minute.

 Fayoum SC in September 2018. Source: Facebook official club page

The hosts played better overall and deserved the victory, although the visitors pressured for an equalizer in the final minutes of the game.

New head coach Magdy Tolba needs to make some changes to the team in the next 3 weeks. There is also a transfer window during this break which should be used wisely, if the club management still hopes to save the team from relegation, which would truly be a miracle, given that there are only 12 rounds to be played in 2019 and almost as many points to get to the salvation line. Fayoum is now 12th (out of 14 teams) and lost four games in a row, and has a run of six winless games.

In the upper part of the table, Aswan won 1-0 away at Al Minya, a result which pretty much eliminates Al Minya from the fight for promotion. Aswan would play the next round a possibly decisive game against the remaining opponents, Beni Suef.

Results, fixtures and table:

Round 14 (27 December 2018)

Al Minya – Aswan 0-1

El Tahrir – Telephonat 2-0

Sohag – Dayrout 0-0

Aluminium – Fayoum 1-0

Media – Al Nasr Lel Taa’den 1-0

Al Walideya – Tahta 4-2

Beni Suef – Naser Mallawi 1-0

Round 15 (17 January 2019)

Aswan – Beni Suef

Al Nasr Lel Taa’den – Aluminium

Naser Mallawi – Sohag

Telephonat – Al Minya

Fayoum – Al Walideya

Dayrout – Media

Tahta – El Tahrir

Table

1	Beni Suef	14	9	5	0	28-10	32	Promotion to Premier League
2	Aswan	14	9	5	0	26-11	32
3	Al Minya	14	7	4	3	27-20	25
4	Media	14	7	3	4	17-13	24
5	Aluminium	14	6	4	4	23-20	22
6	Telephonat	14	5	6	3	18-12	21
7	Sohag	14	5	5	4	11-8	20
8	Al Nasr Lel Taa’den	14	4	7	3	21-17	19	Relegation to the Third Division
9	Dayrout	14	4	4	6	13-20	16	Relegation to the Third Division
10	Tahta	14	4	3	7	17-22	15	Relegation to the Third Division
11	El Tahrir	14	3	4	7	10-17	13	Relegation to the Third Division
12	Fayoum	14	2	6	6	14-21	12	Relegation to the Third Division
13	Al Walideya	14	2	1	11	15-32	7	Relegation to the Third Division
14	Naser Mallawi	14	1	3	10	13-30	6	Relegation to the Third Division

Héctor Tapia will be the head coach of Real Garcilaso in 2019

The management of Real Garcilaso announced that Chilean Héctor Tapia will be the new head coach for 2019. He replaces Victor Reyes, who was head coach between October and December 2018, and would probably remain as assistant coach. Most of the other members of the coaching staff have left the club.

Héctor Tapia, the new head coach of Real Garcilaso. Source: fctables.com

Héctor Tapia played mostly at Colo Colo in his home country, Chile, and he also began his coaching career there. He was also head coach of Chilean club Everton. In 2018 he was again head coach of Colo Colo.

Hernán Torres will be the new physical trainer of Real Garcilaso.

The 2019 season will start early for Real Garcilaso, as they play the first stage of Copa Libertadores against Deportivo La Guaira from Venezuela on the 23rd of January (in Caracas) and the 29th of January (in Cusco). If they qualify, they would play against Atletico Nacional from Colombia in the second stage of Copa Libertadores at the beginning of February.

Real Garcilaso also have had a very strong transfer campaign.

Incoming players

Ricardo Farro - goalkeeper (from Deportivo Binacional)

Jhoel Herrera - defender (coming back to Real Garcilaso from Sport Boys)

Paulo Goyoneche - defender (from Sport Rosario)

Willy Pretel - defender (from U.T. Cajamarca)

Donald Millán - Colombian midfield (from U.T. Cajamarca)

Israel Kahn - midfield (from Deportivo Coopsol)

Carlos Olascuaga - forward (from Sport Rosario)

Danilo Carando - Argentinian striker (coming back to Real Garcilaso from Universidad Católica in Ecuador)

Renewed contracts for 2019

The following players have renewed their contracts to Real Garcilaso for at least one year:

Christian Ortiz - goalkeeper

Jesús Arismendi - defender

José Velásquez - defender

Gustavo Dulanto - defender

José Cánova - defender

Alexis Cossío - defender

Miguel Ángel Aucca - midfield

Jean Pierre Archimbaud - midfield

Alexander Lecaros - midfield

Alfredo Ramúa - playmaker

Iván Santillán - left winger

Hernán Rengifo - forward

Outgoing players

It is likely that most of the players who did not renew so far will leave the club in 2019. Certain outgoing players:

Carlos Cáceda - goalkeeper (to FBC Melgar)

Lampros Kontogiannis - Mexican defender (to Veracruz in Liga MX)

Jhonny Vidales - winger (to FBC Melgar)

Cristian Alessandrini - Argentinian forward (destination yet unknown)

Bad start for Magdy Tolba as Fayoum manager: Media - Fayoum 2-1

On Thursday, 20 December, at 2.30 pm local time, the games of the 13th round of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A, kicked-off. Fayoum SC played away in the 6th of October City in the Greater Cairo area, against newly-promoted Media, the only team in the Cairo area to be part of Group A, usually including only teams from Upper Egypt.

 Fayoum SC. Source: Facebook official club page

The visitors started very well and took an early lead in the 8th minute by means of Dia Bulbul. However, the home team managed to equalize in the 30th minute by Rama Zidane and eventually scored the winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time (90+2) by Mohammed Osama, after Mohammed Zaki failed to convert a penalty for them in the 88th minute.

So Fayoum lost 2-1 dramatically in the added time despite a rather good game, which showed some of the strengths and weaknesses of the team, most likely noticed by the new head coach Magdy Tolba, who started badly but needs to redress the team quickly if they want to remain in the Second Division the next year.

It was the third consecutive defeat for Fayoum and the fifth winless game in a row. At the end of the first half of the season, Fayoum is 11th out of 14 teams and is 7 points below the relegation line.

The second half of the season will start next week on Thursday, 27 December, when Fayoum will play again away, this time at Nag Hammadi, against Aluminium. In the first round of the season, at home, Fayoum and Aluminium drew 1-1, the visitors equalizing in the final minutes of the game.

Results, table at half-season and the next round fixtures:

Round 13 (20 December 2018)

Aswan – Naser Mallawi 5-2

Beni Suef – Dayrout 2-0

Aluminium – Tahta 2-0

Sohag – Al Nasr Lel Taa’den 3-1

Al Minya – El Tahrir 2-1

Al Walideya – Telephonat 0-2

Media – Fayoum 2-1

Table at half season

1	Beni Suef	13	8	5	0	27-10	29	Promotion to Premier League
2	Aswan	13	8	5	0	25-11	29
3	Al Minya	13	7	4	2	27-19	25
4	Telephonat	13	5	6	2	18-10	21
5	Media	13	6	3	4	16-13	21
6	Al Nasr Lel Taa’den	13	4	7	2	21-16	19
7	Sohag	13	5	4	4	11-8	19
8	Aluminium	13	5	4	4	22-20	19	Relegation to the Third Division
9	Tahta	13	4	3	6	15-18	15	Relegation to the Third Division
10	Dayrout	13	4	3	6	13-20	15	Relegation to the Third Division
11	Fayoum	13	2	6	5	14-20	12	Relegation to the Third Division
12	El Tahrir	13	2	4	7	8-17	10	Relegation to the Third Division
13	Naser Mallawi	13	1	3	9	13-29	6	Relegation to the Third Division
14	Al Walideya	13	1	1	11	11-30	4	Relegation to the Third Division

Round 14 (27 December 2018)

Al Minya – Aswan

El Tahrir – Telephonat

Sohag – Dayrout

Aluminium – Fayoum

Media – Al Nasr Lel Taa’den

Al Walideya – Tahta

Beni Suef – Naser Mallawi