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.
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