Bourj FC won 3-0 over Racing and will face Ansar in the Lebanese FA Cup semifinals

Bourj FC - Racing Club Beirut 3-0 (1-0)

Hassan Mehanna 2', Ali Merkabaoui 86' penalty, 88'.

Wednesday, 22 December 2021, 1:30 pm local time (11:30 am UTC), Al Ahed Stadium, Bourj el-Barajneh (southern suburbs of Beirut), Lebanon, Lebanese FA Cup quarter-finals 

Bourj FC starting XI. Source: Bourj FA Facebook page

History repeats, and Bourj FC are again in the semifinals of the Lebanese FA Cup, and, just like in the previous edition, they will face Ansar. Will they be able to change the story of the previous edition and make it to the final this time?

In the quarter-finals, they had a relatively easy match against Second Division Racing Club Beirut. They left nothing to chance, as the starting XI was pretty much the standard one. The game was made easier by the very early first goal: Abbas Atwi "Onika" launched Mohammad El Dor on the right, his cross reached Hassan Mehanna in the box, and Mehanna's surprising shot at the near post went in: 1-0 (2').

Hassan Mehanna (in yellow and black) broke the deadlock with his early goal. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page.

The goal made the game very easy for Bourj FC, which controlled the first half without pushing too hard for a second. However, Hassan Mehanna could have doubled the advantage after a cross from Youssef Anbar on the left, but his shot from an excellent position went above the cross bar (14'). Racing only defended in the first half, and rarely crossed the half-way line, while Bourj FC maintained possession.

The second half was more lively, as Racing decided to give it a shot and tried to play more offensively. Wassem Abdelhady missed their greatest chance, as his header went wide (65'). However, Bourj FC retained the control of the game for most time, and their actions became more dangerous towards the end of the match. 

Subs Hussein Ghanem (left) and Youssef Atriss (right) brought fresh air to Bourj FC towards the end of the match. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page

The fate of the game was sealed in the final minutes. After a long offensive action, Ali Merkabaoui was fouled inside the box. The referee, after a few moments of indecision, awarded the penalty for Bourj FC, which was transformed by the same Ali Merkabaoui: 2-0 (86'). Two minutes later, Ali Merkabaoui scored again, shooting to the far post from the right side of the box: 3-0 (88'). Youssef Atriss was also close to a goal (89') as the opponents seemed careless in defense once the result went decisively in Bourj favour.

Bourj FC: Abdelkarim Saleh - Mohammad El Dor, Hassan Bitar, Ahmad Al Khatib, Youssef Anbar - Abbas Atwi "Onika" (Mohammad Al Faour 79'), Mohammad Kassem (Youssef Atriss 63'), Hussein Ibrahim "Saaouk" - Hassan Mehanna (Ibrahim Abou Hamdan 79'), Akram Moghrabi (Ali Merkabaoui 60'), Hussein Al Outa (Hussein Ghanem 60'). Manager: Fouad Hijazi.

Referee: Hadi Salameh.

The other results of the quarter-finals:

Shabab El Bourj - Hikma / La Sagesse 1-2
Al Ahed - Nejmeh 1-1, 2-4 at penalties
Ansar - Salam Zgharta 6-0

In the semifinals:

Hikma / La Sagesse - Nejmeh
Bourj FC - Ansar

There are many striking similarities between this season of the Lebanese FA Cup and the previous one. Three of the semifinalists are the same, and Bourj will face Ansar in the semifinals just like in the previous edition. Nejmeh qualified again in the semifinals, eliminating Al Ahed in the quarter-finals, just like in the previous edition. The only difference is that Nejmeh will face Hikma / La Sagesse, instead of Safa; but Hikma / La Sagesse won over Shabab El Bourj, just like Safa did last year. There is a good chance that the final would be the same, because Nejmeh and Ansar are big favourites in the semifinals.

However, Bourj FC have a somewhat better team than they had last year, while Ansar seem a little weaker. This is also proved by the fact that Bourj FC won the league game over Ansar, 1-0, and they might be able to repeat that feat in the FA Cup semifinals.

This might also depend on the moment when the semifinals will be played, yet unknown. In the meantime, the Lebanese Premier League will resume next week, and Bourj FC will have a difficult game away at AC Tripoli on Tuesday, 28 December 2021.