Nejmeh - Bourj 2-0 in the fifth round of the Lebanese Premier League

Saturday, the 31st of October 2020, 4.05 pm local time (2.05 pm UTC), Fouad Chehab Stadium, Jounieh, Lebanon, the 5th round of the Lebanese Premier League.
Bourj lost for the second time in the Lebanese Premier League, this time against Nejmeh, one of the strongest teams in the league and usual contenders for the national title. Nejmeh controlled most of the game and won quite clearly, without leaving any moment the impression that the result might be different. They started very well and dominated in the midfield, missing two important chances prior to the first goal: Khalil Badr passed from the left side to Mahmoud Siblini in the area, who found the best possible shot to put the ball in: 1-0 (23').

Nejmeh players (in white and blue) congratulate Mahmoud Siblini for a great goal. Source: elmaestrosport.com

After taking the lead, Nejmeh changed their tactics and stayed mostly in the defence, blocking most of Bourj FC attacks and trying to increase their lead on the counter. Bourj FC had more ball possession but did not find a way to break the opposite defence. Only in the stoppage time of the first half, Ibrahim Abou Hamdan succeeded to shoot from outside the area, but goalkeeper Ali Hallal saved (45'+2').
In the second half, there were more events. Abdel Al Karim Saleh, Bourj goalkeeper, denied Siblini's header and second goal after a corner (56'), while Ali Hallal had an easier task in defending Mohamad Jaafar's shot from a difficult angle (64'). The same Siblini missed an enormous chance on a break (73'), but the next minute brought a debatable penalty for Nejmeh: Ali Tneich Al Sisi dribbled everyone on the left, entered the area and passed decisively to Mahmoud Siblini, whose shot was diverted out by a combined action of goalkeeper Abdel Al Karim Saleh and defender Ahmad Al Khatib (74'). The assistant referee signalled to the central referee that Ahmad Al Khatib touched the ball with his hand(s), but on TV, after numerous replays, it was unclear if this was true or not, and the hands were anyway tied to the body, so the interpretation was probably wrong. However, Ahmad Al Khatib was sent off despite heavy debates (75') and captain Abbas Atwi transformed the penalty: 2-0 (76').
Nothing else happened until the end, as Nejmeh only wanted to preserve the result, while Bourj, in ten, were unable to do anything.
Nejmeh: Ali Hallal - Maher Sabra, Ali Hamam, Ali Saadi, Andrew Sawaya, Abbas Atwi (Mehdi Zein 86'), Omar El Kerdi (Hussein Awada 30'; Mahmoud Kaawar 86'), Ali Tneich, Khaled Takaji (Hassan Kourani 66'), Khalil Badr (Ali Salman 66'), Mahmoud Siblini. Manager: Moussa Hojeij.
Bourj FC: Abdel Al Karim Saleh - Hamza Abboud, Khodor Hallak, Ahmad Al Khatib, Walid Ismail - Hussein Ibrahim, Mohamad Al Faour - Ibrahim Abou Hamdan (Zein Al Abidin Farran 72'), Mohamad Nasser (Mohamad El Dor 82'), Hussein Al Outa - Mohamad Jaafar (Fadel Antar 82'). Manager: Mohamad Dakka.
Referee: Jamil Ramadan.
Yellow cards: Omar El Kerdi 25', Maher Sabra 45' - Walid Ismail 25'.
Red card: Ahmad Al Khatib (75').
For this match, Bourj FC could not use several important players, such as Mohamad Kassem (on the bench, probably injured), Abou Baker Al Mel or Hassan Al Annan. However, this defeat, in combination with other results, took them out from the first six, at least momentarily, and it will be difficult for them to classify in top six at the end of the first half of the competition and to qualify for the play-off. Their next match will be away at AC Tripoli, on Sunday, the 8th of November. On the other hand, Nejmeh consolidate their third place in the table and are looking forward to their next meeting, when they will face the biggest surprise so far this year, Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, currently top of the table, at least until the match of Ansar, to be played tomorrow.

Cusco FC won 2-0 over Carlos A. Mannucci and are leaders of the Group B in the Peruvian Liga 1 - Second Stage (Clausura)

Thursday, the 29th of October 2020, 3.30 pm local time (8.30 pm UTC), Iván Elias Moreno Stadium, Lima (neutral ground), Peru, second round of the Peruvian Liga 1 - Second Stage (Clausura), Group B.
Cusco FC has a surprisingly good start of the shorter Second Stage (Clausura) and won the second game in a row, this time over Carlos A. Mannucci. Just a few weeks ago, Carlos A. Mannucci had won 4-0 in the First Stage (Apertura)! But it was revenge time for Cusco, which started much better and controlled most of the game in the first half, without creating too many goal opportunities. Carlos A. Mannucci preferred to remain in the defence and tried something on the counterattack, but the only big goal chance in the first half came before the break: Pretel had to come out of the area and, under pressure, sent the ball mistakenly to Rodríguez, but his shot was saved by Paniagua, well placed (41').
The second half started very much the same, with Cusco FC trying harder to find a way to the goal, and they found it early: Rizzo's pass to Benincasa was intercepted by Atoche, who assisted Ray Sandoval, and his strong and precise shot went in: 0-1 (49').

Cusco FC players are congratulating Janio Pósito (no. 29) for the second goal. Source: dechalaca.com

Obviously, after the goal, the game changed completely, with the two sides in contrasting positions: Carlos A. Mannucci in attack, Cusco FC in defence and trying something on the break. Mannucci's pressure increased, while they left more and more space in the defence, which meant that Cusco FC also had some chances to score, especially by Carranza and Sandoval. However, the biggest chances belonged to Mannucci, and were missed by Rely Fernández (80') and Javier Núñez (84'), goalkeeper Pretel having some astonishing saves. In the stoppage time, a cross by Brandon Palacios for Miguel Carranza resulted in a foul by Nungaray on Carranza and a penalty for Cusco, executed and transformed by Janio Pósito: 0-2 (90'+6'). Cusco players were so happy that they forgot that the match did not end, and Carlos A. Mannucci had an immense goal chance in the seventh minute of stoppage time, but the ball hit the cross bar and then Lagos's shot went wide from just a few metres.
Carlos A. Mannucci: Heredia - Benites (R. Fernández 78'), Rizzo, Benincasa, Corrales (Moreno 46') - Flores (Núñez 62'), Fuentes (Nungaray 46') - A. Rodríguez, Guastavino, Lagos - Noronha. Manager: Pablo Peirano.
Cusco FC: Pretel - Chávez, Paniagua, Delgado, Céspedes (Boló 90'+7') - Atoche (Palacios 83'), Valenzuela, Gonzales - Ramúa (Carranza 71'), Carando (Pósito 71'), Sandoval (Mimbela 83'). Manager: Carlos Ramacciotti.
Referee: Ramón Blanco.
Yellow cards: Fuentes 9', A. Rodríguez 75' - Sandoval 46'.
Cusco FC has 6 points, the maximum possible after two rounds in the Second Stage and will play against Sport Boys in the third round. The danger now would be for them to imagine that relegation is no longer an issue and that they might even fight to win the Second Stage. The match against Sport Boys is easier on paper, but it is going to be very tough, because Sport Boys are in a very dangerous position, in the relegation area. On the other hand, Carlos A. Mannucci lost again, it is their second consecutive defeat, and they might even lose one of the spots leading to a continental competition the next year. In the next match, they will face Deportivo Municipal. Both these matches will be played on Monday, the 2nd of November.

Relegation cancelled, the 2020-2021 season of the Egyptian Second Division to start on the 25th of November 2020

Yesterday, the 26th of October, the Egyptian Football Association announced a new format for the 2020-2021 season in the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions, according to the situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The main news is that relegation from all divisions is cancelled for the 2019-2020 season, except for the Egyptian Premier League, which is not the object of the announcement. This means that the 15 teams initially relegated from the Second Division to the Third Division, including Fayoum SC, would stay in the Second Division. While in the last years the number of teams in the Second Division decreased gradually from 48 to 42 and then to 36, aiming at further reduction and the creation of a professional Second Division, for the 2020-2021 season the number of teams will increase back again to 48, distributed among three groups of 16 teams according to their geographical location. These are the same three groups which existed so far, except that they had 12 teams in 2019-2020. None of these teams is relegated, but 12 teams from the Third Division would be promoted, actually the winners of each of the 12 groups in the Third Division.

The 48 teams in the 2020-2021 Second Division would be therefore the following: 3 teams relegated from the Premier League, 33 teams from the 2019-2020 Second Division (all, except for the 3 group winners, which are promoted to the Premier League) and 12 teams promoted from the 2019-2020 Third Division. Most likely, just like before, Group A will include teams from the Upper and Middle Egypt, and perhaps one or two teams from Cairo area; Group B will include teams from Cairo and the East (Suez Canal area); Group C will include teams from Alexandria and the North-West. The winner of each group would promote to the Premier League.

The registration and transfer of players will be allowed until the 21st of November 2020, and the competition will start on the 25th of November 2020. There will be a double round robin championship, each team meeting each other team twice, once at home and once away, a total of 30 rounds, to be finished probably in May 2021.

Fayoum SC remains in the Second Division for the 2020-2021 season. Source: Fayoum SC Facebook page

The Third Division will have 177 teams (155 remaining teams and 22 teams promoted from the Fourth Division), distributed among 12 groups. The Fourth Division will have at least the existing 352 teams, and possibly other newly-created teams that might join this division.

The Egyptian Football Association also announced that they will provide more information about the format of the competitions in the near future.

OFK Tryavna lost 3-0 to leaders Levski Lom in the 12th round of the Bulgarian Third League - North-West

Sunday, the 25th of October 2020, 2.30 pm (12.30 pm UTC), Angel Kanchev Stadium, Tryavna, Bulgaria, the 12th round of the Bulgarian Third League - North-West (Severozapadna Treta Liga).
OFK Tryavna lost the fourth match in a row, this time at home to leaders Levski 2020 Lom, a team that has been recently founded and now is on the way to promote to the Second League (Vtora Liga), as it seems. Levski 2020 Lom, unbeaten so far, came to Tryavna as great favourites and they took the lead very early, by means of Rangel Abushev: 0-1 (3'). The same Rangel Abushev doubled the advantage just before the break, after a pass from Georgi Tsekov, crushing most of Tryavna's hopes for a come back in the second half: 0-2 (44').

Levski Lom (in blue) won clearly and are now on top of the table. Source: Levski Lom Facebook page

 

In the second half, Levski Lom had more chances but only succeeded to score once, towards the end of the game, when Marian Ognyanov finalized after another pass from Georgi Tsekov. OFK Tryavna had some good moments when they played at almost the same level as their opponents, but the difference was however obvious.
Starting line-ups:
Tryavna: Miroslav Kirov - Ivaylo Hristov, Stanimir Andreev, Hussein Weisov, Oktay Azisov, Ilian Tosunov, Nikolay Georgiev, Aleksandar Damyanov, Tomislav Kolev, Hristo Tsonev, Martin Shirtev. Manager: Daniel Hristov.
Levski Lom: Ivan Rizov - Galen Nenov, Raif Muradov, Lachezar Georgiev, Marian Ognyanov, Georgi Tsekov, Vasil Sapundzhiev, Yordan Georgiev, Rangel Abushev, Nikolai Hristov, Tsvetin Nedelchev. Manager: Blagoy Krastanov.
There are good news and bad news for both teams. The good news for Levski 2020 Lom is that they are now leaders in this group and it looks like the other teams in the upper section keep losing points unexpectedly, so they have a good chance to consolidate their lead, especially because they have one match less. The bad news is that everyone will be very careful when playing against them, they are no longer outsiders and the element of surprise is gone.
For OFK Tryavna, the good news is that matches against tough opponents are over for the moment, the next difficult game will be more than a month from now, against Spartak Pleven, at home. Until then, OFK Tryavna will face several teams in the lower part of the table, like them, and they have a good chance to improve their position in the table. The bad news is that three out of four such matches will be played away, starting with the next one, at Akademik Svishtov. The situation in the table is so terrible for OFK Tryavna that they desperately need points to get out of the relegation area, but these matches are against teams that have the same objective, to avoid relegation, so these confrontations might be tougher than the ones against teams in the upper half of the table.
Full results, table and fixtures:

Round 12 (24-25 October 2020)

OFK Levski 2007 – Akademik Svishtov 0-1

Bdin 1923 Vidin – Parva Atomna Kozloduy 2-2

OFK Tryavna – Levski 2020 Lom 0-3

Spartak Pleven – OFK Pavlikeni 0-0

FK Sevlievo – Partizan Cherven Bryag 2-2

Etar 2 Veliko Tarnovo – Botev 2 Vratsa 0-1

Lokomotiv 1927 Dryanovo – FK Drenovets 4-2

Vihar Slavyanovo – Peshtera Galata 4-1

Yantra Polski Trambesh – OFK Lokomotiv Mezdra 2-1

 

Table

 

1	Levski 2020 Lom	11	8	3	0	27-2	27	Promotion to Vtora Liga
2	FK Sevlievo	12	8	3	1	26-7	27
3	Vihar Slavyanovo	12	9	0	3	29-11	27
4	Botev 2 Vratsa	12	8	3	1	25-7	27
5	Spartak Pleven	12	8	1	3	29-11	25
6	Yantra Polski Trambesh	12	6	3	3	20-14	21
7	OFK Pavlikeni	12	6	3	3	14-9	21
8	Partizan Cherven Bryag	12	6	2	4	18-17	20
9	Lokomotiv Dryanovo	12	6	0	6	29-26	18
10	OFK Lokomotiv Mezdra	11	4	2	5	14-12	14
11	Etar 2 Veliko Tarnovo	12	4	2	6	14-18	14
12	OFK Levski 2007	12	2	5	5	12-17	11
13	FK Drenovets	11	3	2	6	17-28	11
14	Peshtera Galata	12	3	2	7	20-34	11
15	Akademik Svishtov	11	3	0	8	11-22	9
16	Parva Atomna Kozloduy	12	2	2	8	13-18	8
17	OFK Tryavna	12	1	2	9	7-29	5
18	Bdin 1923 Vidin	12	1	1	10	8-51	4

 

Round 5 – postponed match (28 October 2020)

 

FK Drenovets – Akademik Svishtov

 

Round 13 (1 November 2020)

 

OFK Lokomotiv Mezdra – Bdin 1923 Vidin

Peshtera Galata – Yantra Polski Trambesh

FK Drenovets – Vihar Slavyanovo

Botev 2 Vratsa – Lokomotiv 1927 Dryanovo

Partizan Cherven Bryag – Etar 2 Veliko Tarnovo

OFK Pavlikeni – FK Sevlievo

Levski 2020 Lom – Spartak Pleven

Akademik Svishtov – OFK Tryavna

Parva Atomna Kozloduy – OFK Levski 2007