Ansar dominate but Bourj snatch precious draw

Ansar - Bourj 0-0

Saturday, 18 February 2023, 4:45 pm local time (2:45 pm UTC), Fouad Chehab Stadium, Jounieh, Lebanon, 7th round, championship play-off, Lebanese Premier League.

Bourj suffered their first defeat under new manager Hussein Tahan in the previous week, 1-0, and there was significant pressure to achieve at least a draw against leaders Ansar, which won the other two matches played between these two teams this season. The pressure was even higher for Ansar, which needed a win to maintain their leadership and a gap over Al Ahed and Nejmeh.

Bourj FC starting line-up. Photo source: Lebanese Football Association Facebook page

Ansar starting line-up. Photo source: Lebanese Football Association Facebook page

 

The ultra-defensive tactics which Bourj also used in their previous games against Ansar finally paid off, in the sense that Bourj snatched a 0-0 draw.

Richard Baffour (left, in yellow and black) and goalkeeper Abdelkarim Saleh (in red) were among the heroes for Bourj FC. Photo source: Lebanese Football Association Facebook page

 

Ansar dominated the entire game, but did not succeed to score a goal, out of their numerous opportunities. Bourj defended thoroughly and tried something (not much) on counterattack. Bourj defensive lines were unpenetrable, despite the efforts made by Ansar forwards and midfielders. Tens of crosses were sent into the Bourj box, but Richard Baffour and Khodor Hallak were there and had some physical advantage over the Ansar forwards. Whenever the other defensive lines were broken, goalkeeper Abdelkarim Saleh was there to save his team and he had lots of magnificent interventions, which support the idea that he should be declared the man of the match.

 

Ichaka Diarra (Ansar, in green), surrounded by three Bourj players (Khodor Hallak to the left and Mohamad Sibaii "Wartan" to the right are visible). Photo source: Lebanese Football Association Facebook page

 

In the second half, Ansar's pressure intensified, and so did the goal opportunities. Nevertheless, Bourj FC resisted right until the end of the game, including more than 8 minutes of stoppage time. Apart from the interventions made by Bourj defenders, and especially by the goalkeeper Abdelkarim Saleh, one should also point out the fact that Ansar forwards missed the target several times, from excellent positions.

 

Bourj FC had a single shot on target in the second half, as Ali Chaito tried his luck from a very large distance.

 

A duel between the two no. 10s: Hassan Maatouk (Ansar, in green) and Khaled Takaji (Bourj, in yellow and black). Photo source: Lebanese Football Association Facebook page

 

Starting line-ups:

Ansar: Hadi Kanj - Nassar Nassar, Ichaka Diarra, Maxim Aoun, Abdallah Aich - Ali Tneich, Housam Al Lawati, Yehya El Hendi - Karim Darwish, El Hadji Malick Tall, Hassan Maatouk. Manager: Jamal Taha.

Bourj: Abdelkarim Saleh - Youssef Anbar, Khodor Hallak, Richard Baffour, Shadi Skaf - Hussein Ibrahim, Mohamad Sibaii "Wartan" - Ali Merkabaoui, Khaled Takaji, Mohamad Sadek - Dennis Tetteh. Manager: Hussein Tahan.

Referee: Hussein Abou Yahya.

 

This draw should have served Al Ahed and Nejmeh, but the two contenders also drew between them, so the situation at the top of the table is very much the same. Things have also become tense in the play-out, as both Salam Zgharta and Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley are getting closer to the relegation line. With three rounds to go, nothing is yet known, neither regarding the title, nor concerning relegation.

 

In the next round, Bourj will face Nejmeh on Saturday, while Ansar will have another difficult match, against Shabab Sahel, on Sunday.

Full results, tables and fixtures:

 

Play-off

Round 7 (18-19 February 2023)

 

Ansar – Bourj 0-0

Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Shabab Sahel 0-2

Nejmeh – Al Ahed 1-1

 

Table

 

1	Ansar	7	4	3	0	41-9	29	(+)
2	Al Ahed	7	4	3	0	31-11	27
3	Nejmeh	7	3	4	0	28-11	25	(+)
4	Shabab Sahel	7	2	1	4	25-18	20	(+)
5	Bourj	7	1	3	3	21-21	18	(+)
6	Shabab Al-Ghazieh	7	0	0	7	13-31	6

 

(+) Points have been rounded up.

If two or more teams have the same number of points, the teams that had their points rounded up will be classified below those which had their points halved neatly, as the main ranking criterion, followed by the head-to-head results, the goal difference, and the number of goals scored.

Initial classification before the start of the play-off: Ansar 14p, Shabab Sahel 13p, Al Ahed, Nejmeh and Bourj 12p, Shabab Al-Ghazieh 6p.

 

Round 8 (25-26 February 2023)

 

Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Al Ahed

Bourj – Nejmeh

Shabab Sahel – Ansar

 

Play-out

 

Round 7 (19 February 2023)

 

Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Tadamon Sour 0-0

Salam Zgharta – Hikma / Sagesse 2-1

AC Tripoli – Safa 1-1

 

Table

 

7	Tadamon Sour	7	5	1	1	24-19	21
8	AC Tripoli	7	4	2	1	14-31	17	(+)
9	Safa	7	2	2	3	14-24	13
10	Hikma / Sagesse	7	2	2	3	14-22	12	(+)
11	Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley	7	2	1	4	17-33	11	(+)
12	Salam Zgharta	7	2	0	5	12-24	10	(+)

 

(+) Points have been rounded up.

If two or more teams have the same number of points, the teams that had their points rounded up will be classified below those which had their points halved neatly, as the main ranking criterion, followed by the head-to-head results, the goal difference, and the number of goals scored.

Initial classification before the start of the play-out: Safa and Tadamon Sour 5p, Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, Salam Zgharta and Hikma / Sagesse 4p, AC Tripoli 3p.

 

Round 8 (24 February 2023)

 

Salam Zgharta – AC Tripoli

Hikma / Sagesse – Tadamon Sour

Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Safa