First win for Bourj FC in the league after five draws: 2-0 away at Tripoli

AC Tripoli - Bourj FC 0-2 (0-0)

Akram Moghrabi 61', Hassan Mehanna 79'.

Tuesday, 28 December 2021, 2:15 pm local time (12:15 UTC), Tripoli Municipal Stadium, Tripoli, Lebanon, 7th round of the Lebanese Premier League.

Bourj FC starting XI against AC Tripoli. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page

Despite being undefeated since the start of the league, Bourj FC had only registered one win (in the first round) and then five consecutive draws before the match away at Tripoli. Their morale was high enough, given the two consecutive wins in the Lebanese FA Cup right before this game, although they were obtained against Second Division teams, and one of them only at the penalty shoot-outs. Nevertheless, Bourj FC started the game thinking about winning, and this was obvious in the way they controlled the midfield and the ball possession right from the beginning.

The first chance came after just three minutes, as Hassan Mehanna escaped in central position all alone with the goalkeeper, but was reached and dispossessed by the last defender (including a contact) just outside the box. The referee did not award a free kick for Bourj because that decision would have probably meant a red card for the Tripoli defender, so the game continued as if nothing happended, despite Bourj protests.

It was the biggest opportunity of the first half, which lacked important chances. Bourj maintained an overall possession (which amounted to 70% at a certain moment, according to the televised statistics) and had two more potential free kicks just outside the box, but each time the referee dismissed their claims and let the play continue. While Bourj FC built their attacks rather slowly and patiently, AC Tripoli preferred rather quick breaks, almost always finished with shots, which generally went wide and did not pose any real threat.

After the break, Bourj FC started even more determined to score and to win. In the first 15 minutes or so, the hosts barely crossed the halfway line into the opposite half, as almost the entire game developed in their own half and very close to the box or inside it. Youssef Anbar had the first shot on target in the entire game (47'), followed by another one, wide (50'). A series of corners executed by Abbas Atwi "Onika" increased the level of danger, and eventually one of these corners led to the first goal of the game. Abbas Atwi Onika executed the corner from the left, and Akram Moghrabi headed the ball in, with the unwanted help of a defender: 0-1 (61').

It was only after the goal that AC Tripoli started to attack more, looking for an equalizer. They had two dangerous shots, one blocked by Hassan Moghnieh, while the other one went wide. However, Bourj FC replied on fast counterattacks, which provided several chances, missed by the forwards. Abou Baker Al Mel "Bako" was one of the protagonists of the match, creating many opportunities on the right side. In one of these cases, he succeeded to cross the ball perfectly for Hassan Mehanna at the far post, and Mehanna's header went in, possibly with the help of Akram Moghrabi, who may have pushed the ball on the line: 0-2 (79').

It was quite all over, despite the desperate efforts made by AC Tripoli to come back in the game. Their biggest chance of the entire game came only in stoppage time, when one of their forwards had an excellent position inside the box, but missed the target (90'+3').

Bourj FC: Hassan Moghnieh - Mohamad El Dor, Khodor Hallak, Hassan Bitar, Youssef Anbar - Mohamad Al Faour (Youssef Atriss 82'), Abbas Atwi "Onika" (Hussein Al Outa 90'), Hussein Ibrahim "Saaouk" - Abou Baker Al Mel "Bako", Hassan Mehanna, Ali Merkabaoui (Akram Moghrabi 52'). Manager: Fouad Hijazi.

In the next round, Bourj FC will face Shabab El Bourj in the local derby on the 3rd of January 2022, while AC Tripoli will play away at Hikma / Sagesse.

Full results, table and fixtures:

Round 7 (27-28 December 2021)

 

Tadamon Sour – Al Ahed 0-0

AC Sporting – Shabab Sahel 2-0

Ansar – Nejmeh 0-1

AC Tripoli – Bourj 0-2

Shabab El Bourj – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 2-1

Hikma / Sagesse – Safa 2-0

 

Table

 

1	Al Ahed	7	5	2	0	11-2	17
2	Nejmeh	7	4	3	0	11-2	15
3	Shabab Sahel	7	4	2	1	14-5	14
4	Bourj	7	2	5	0	7-4	11
5	Hikma / Sagesse	7	3	0	4	7-12	9
6	Ansar	7	2	2	3	7-6	8
7	Shabab El Bourj	7	2	2	3	7-10	8
8	Tadamon Sour	7	1	4	2	8-7	7
9	Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley	7	2	1	4	6-9	7
10	AC Tripoli	7	2	1	4	5-12	7
11	Safa	7	1	3	3	3-10	6
12	AC Sporting	7	1	1	5	4-11	4

 

If two or more teams have the same number of points, the results of head-to-head matches between them are the main ranking criteria.

 

Round 8 (2-3 January 2022)

 

Tadamon Sour – Nejmeh

Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Al Ahed

Ansar – Shabab Sahel

Hikma / Sagesse – AC Tripoli

Bourj – Shabab El Bourj

AC Sporting – Safa