Perfect start of the season for Bourj FC with Osama Al Sakr as new manager

Bourj FC - AC Tripoli 4-1 (2-0)

Mohamad Sadek 7', 57', 90'+1' penalty, Khaled Takaji 45'+1' penalty - Fouad Eid 82'.

Friday, 9 September 2022, 4 pm local time (1 pm UTC), Amin Abdelnour Stadium, Bhamdoun (Aley), Lebanon, the 2nd round of the Lebanese Premier League.

Bourj FC players and staff for the 2022-2023 season. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page

Osama Al Sakr became the new manager of Bourj FC in June 2022, replacing Fouad Hijazi, who remained in the club as technical consultant. The Sudanese manager, former Bourj FC player in the 1990s, last managed AC Tripoli in the 2021-2022 season, but has a lot of experience in the Lebanese football.

Bourj participated in the Elite Cup this summer, but lost both matches in their group and were therefore eliminated from the first stage.

Many players left, while many others came in, so the 2022-2023 squad is quite different from the previous one. The season started on Saturday, 3 September 2022, with a home match against Salam Zgharta, which Bourj FC won 2-1, dominating the game but securing the three points only in stoppage time. Mohamad Kawar's goal (62') seemed to ensure the win, but the visitors surprinsingly succeeded to equalize with a few minutes before the final whistle. An extraordinary long-range shot by Mohamad Sibaii 'Wartan' gave Bourj FC a deserved win in stoppage time (90'+1').

In the second round, Bourj FC played again at home against AC Tripoli. This time, Bourj FC managed to score early: Khaled Takaji launched Mohamad Sadek on the left, and the young winger entered the box, dribbled his opponent and scored with a precise shot: 1-0 (7').

Bourj FC controlled the game, and Ahmed Qerhani, the Tripoli goalkeeper, had to save many shots. In the final minutes of the first half, the visitors also had a couple of chances. However, the ones who scored again were the hosts, as the referee awarded a penalty for a foul on Stephen Sarfo in the box. Khaled Takaji took the opportunity to score his first goal for Bourj FC: 2-0 (45'+1').

In the second half, the match continued under the same conditions, with Bourj FC attacking in a very relaxed manner, but the visitors also had some dangerous breaks. All the emotions faded when Mohamad Sadek scored again, after a corner executed by Khaled Takaji, taking advantage of the chaos inside the Tripoli box: 3-0 (57').

Just like in the previous game, Bourj FC relaxed perhaps too much, allowing the visitors to balance the game. Abdelkarim Saleh had several important saves, but he could not do anything when Fouad Eid scored from short range, after a cross from the right side: 3-1 (82').

In the final minutes, Bourj FC tried to come back in the game, to avoid any surprise, and eventually they were awarded another penalty for a foul in the box. Young Mohamad Sadek (the hero of this match) transformed the penalty for his first hat-trick, establishing the final score: 4-1 (90'+1').

Bourj FC are leaders temporarily in the Lebanese Premier League.

Bourj: Abdelkarim Saleh - Youssef Anbar (Mohamad El Dor 70'), Richard Baffour, Khodor Hallak, Mohamad Hammoud (Mohamad Safwan 79') - Hussein Ibrahim, Youssef Barakat (Mohamad Sibaii 'Wartan' 70') - Mohamad Kawar (Ali Merkabaoui 70'), Khaled Takaji (Ali Chaito 79'), Mohamad Sadek - Stephen Sarfo. Manager: Osama Al Sakr.

Tripoli: Ahmed Qerhani - Mohamed Qerhani, Obaidah Al Halabi, Bassam Zakaria (Adnan Khair 46', Yahya Ghafour 64'), Bilal Matar, Khaled Al Jassem, Abdul Razzak Dakarmanji, Taha Al Ahmad, Ghazied Al Hussein, Saed Al Hussein (Fouad Eid 46'), Abdullah Ali (Jamal Itawi 65'), Hayel Al Badri (Ahmed El Sayed Attia Hajjaj 59'). Manager: Mohamed Diab.

Referee: Ali Al Ashkar.