Nejmeh - Bourj FC 2-2 (0-2)
Mahmoud Siblini 61', 90'+5' - Hussein Al Outa 18', Hassan Mehanna 29'.
Sunday, 17 October 2021, 4:45 pm local time (1:45 pm UTC), Fouad Chehab Stadium, Jounieh, Lebanon, 4th round of the Lebanese Premier League.
Bourj FC were very close to yet another big surprise in the Lebanese Premier League, and are unbeaten after playing against the three giants, Al Ansar, Al Ahed and Nejmeh. However, the feeling at the end of the match was rather a sort of disappointment for Bourj, as they were equalized in the last action of the game, while Nejmeh celebrated the goal as if they won the game.
Bourj FC starting line-up against Nejmeh. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
In the first half, Bourj FC had the upper hand in the game. While Nejmeh had an overall domination in terms of ball possession and attacked more, Bourj responded very well on the counterattack, and were quite lethal in a few occasions, taking advantage of the Nejmeh careless defense.
A long ball from Hassan Bitar was carelessly cleared by one of Nejmeh defenders, reaching Hussein Al Outa, whose great shot from long range finished in the back of the net: 0-1 (18').
A few minutes afterwards, once again the Nejmeh defenders were unable to clear, and Bourj strikers combined, Akram Moghrabi passing to Hassan Mehanna, who found the net with a beautiful shot from the corner of the box: 0-2 (29').
Hassan Mehanna (in yellow) doubled the advantage for Bourj with a beautiful shot. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
Nejmeh tried to come back in the game and intensified their attacks towards the end of the first half, but Bourj defense resisted, and goalkeeper Abdel Karim Saleh had a few good saves.
In the second half, the pressure from Nejmeh steadily increased. After a corner kick, a cross from Khalil Bader from the left side was headed in by Mahmoud Siblini from close range: 1-2 (61').
Feeling the danger, Bourj tried to balance the game, keeping the ball as far away as possible from their own box. Nejmeh's attacks became more and more chaotic, involving many long balls sent more or less precisely towards the opposite goal, but few reached their strikers.
Moreover, Bourj had two big chances to score for 3-1, in the last minutes of the game, a header by Hussein Al Outa, which went slightly wide (85'), and a shot by Abou Baker Al Mel "Bako" from the edge of the box, which was saved by Ali Hallal (89').
As it sometimes happen in football, the goal came for the other side, Nejmeh. Their offensive efforts finally bear fruit in the last action of the game, even after the four minutes of stoppage time which were officially awarded. In a typical Scandinavian fashion, Kassem El Zein threw a long ball in from the right side, Ali Alaaeddine headed towards his back, and Mahmoud Siblini scored from short range into the empty net, taking advantage of the goalkeeper's wrong decision to try to block Ali Alaaeddine at the near post: 2-2 (90'+5').
The final whistle came immediately after, triggering the celebration for Nejmeh, while Bourj players and staff were obviously depressed for losing two points in the last action of the game.
Nejmeh: Ali Hallal - Andrew Sawaya, Ali Hamam, Kassem El Zein, Omar El Kurdi (Abdallah Aich 79'), Hassan Kourani (Mostafa Kanso 73'), Mehdi Zein, Khaled Takaji (Ali Alaaeddine 79'), Khalil Bader, Mahmoud Siblini, Edmond Chehade (Alaa Mezher 73'). Manager: Maher El Bahri.
Bourj: Abdel Karim Saleh - Mohammad El Dor, Khodor Hallak, Hassan Bitar, Youssef Anbar - Hussein Ibrahim "Saaouk", Mohammad El Faour - Hassan Mehanna (Ali Merkabaoui 65'), Abbas Atwi "Onika" (Mohammad Kassem 65'), Hussein Al Outa (Ibrahim Abou Hamdan 88') - Akram Moghrabi (Abou Baker Al Mel 74'). Manager: Fouad Hijazi.
Referee: Ali Reda.
Yellow cards: Kassem Al Zein 86', Ali Alaaeddine 90'+1' - Hassan Mehanna 46'.
In the next round, Bourj FC will face leaders Shabab Sahel on Saturday, 6 November, while Nejmeh will play against Hikma / La Sagesse on Friday, 5 November. Both matches will be played at Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh.
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