Stunning win for Cusco FC in their first official match of the 2024 season

FBC Melgar - Cusco FC 2-3 (1-2)

Cuesta 19', Lavandeira 66' (penalty) - Colitto 7', Tévez 41', 71'.

Friday, 26 January 2024, 7 pm local time (12 midnight UTC), Monumental de la UNSA Stadium, Arequipa, Peru, 1st round of Apertura, Peruvian First Division (Liga 1).

Great start for Cusco FC in the 2024 season of the Peruvian First Division. Though clearly considered as the underdog away at Melgar, the visitors played very efficiently in attack and had better defense than their opponents, with goalkeeper Solís deserving the "man of the match" status for his incredible saves.

The match started quite well for Cusco FC. In one of their first counter actions, Valenzuela robbed the ball from an opponent, passed to Iván Colman, who found a perfect pass to the right side to Lucas Colitto, all alone with the goalkeeper: 0-1 (7').

Lucas Colitto (left) and Juan Manuel Tévez, the two goalscorers for Cusco FC. Photo source: Cusco FC Facebook page

FBC Melgar replied immediately, and they attacked furiously, trying to equalize as quickly as possible. After several attempts, blocked by the defenders or the goalkeeper Solís, they eventually succeeded to score. A ball in the box was mismanaged by Cusco defenders, Alexis Arias crossed from the right and Bernardo Cuesta's shot from close range went in to the near post: 1-1 (19').

Bernardo Cuesta, unmarked, equalized with a powerful shot. Photo source: Melgar FBC Facebook page

After the equalizer, FBC Melgar eased the pressure a little bit, but continued their efforts to take the lead. Goalkeeper Solís had several crucial saves throughout the entire the game, but also during this period in the first half, when Cusco FC seemed completely dominated by the hosts. It looked like the opening goal was just a mistake, with the game going apparently in Melgar way. But just when nobody expected, Cusco FC stroke again. This time Miguel Aucca dispossessed an opponent in midfield, and launched the counterattack, very much in the same way as in the case of the first goal, passing to Iván Colman, who had some space on the left. When he got into the box, Colman stopped and passed to Juan Manuel Tévez, who was coming unmarked towards the centre of the box, and his shot went in: 1-2 (41').

Cusco FC players celebrating: Colitto (left), Tamariz (centre), Colman (with the back) and Tévez (right, raising his hand). Photo source: Cusco FC Facebook page

The second half was very much similar to the first half, only this time FBC Melgar were chasing the equalizer once again. Newly-subbed in Bordacahar, along with Lavandeira and Cuesta, did their best in the attack, but Solís looked unbeatable. Finally, the equalizer came from a penalty. A cross from the right was meant for a header, but Lucas Colitto touched the ball with his hand, and a penalty (and a yellow card) was awarded. Pablo Lavandeira took the responsibility and scored: 2-2 (66').

Pablo Lavandeira equalized once again from the penalty spot. Photo source: Melgar FBC Facebook page

It looked like FBC Melgar had enough time to grab a good result in this match. But while Melgar continued their offensive actions, Cusco FC took the lead once again. Oswaldo Valenzuela gained a ball in his own half, and assisted Juan Manuel Tévez with a long ball through the defense. Goalkeeper Cáceda failed to come out quickly enough, allowing Tévez to get first to the ball, to pass him and to score in the empty net: 2-3 (71'). The assistant referee mistakenly raised the flag for offside, but luckily VAR is implemented in the Peruvian First League, and the replays showed clearly that Tévez was in his own half when Valenzuela passed.

Juan Manuel Tévez scored a brace at his debut in the Peruvian First Division. Photo source: Cusco FC Facebook page

In the remaining minutes, Melgar attacks intensified, but Cusco FC defended wisely and stubbornly. Melgar players started to look more and more desperate as the time went by, without making any progress. Whenever they had a shot on target, Solís saved. This was a great match made by the new Cusco FC goalkeeper.

Carlos Solís, Cusco FC goalkeeper, the man of the match. Photo source: Cusco FC Facebook page

It looks like Cusco FC finally found the right manager: Miguel Rondelli. Appointed at the end of November, he had about two months to build up a team almost from the scratch, as most of the 2023 season players went away from Cusco. He had to rely on the few remaining players, and to bring in lots of other players, many of them completely new to the Peruvian First League. He was certainly right regarding the four Argentinian attacking players: Juan Manuel Tévez as the central forward, Lucas Colitto as the right winger, Nicolás Silva as the left winger and Iván Colman as the playmaker behind them. Peruvian players Miguel Aucca and Oswaldo Valenzuela also did their job as defensive / central midfielders. The defense did not look as great as the attack, but goalkeeper Solís was great.

Overall, Cusco FC impressed due to its efficiency: they scored 3 goals out of 4 shots on target, and 1.20 expected goals (according to Flashscore statistics). Compared to them, FBC Melgar had 36 shots, 12 of them on target, 4.06 expected goals, but only scored twice. One should add the 75%-25% ball possession in favour of Melgar, and the number of corners (12-2 for Melgar) to have a complete image of the territorial domination of the host team, which nevertheless lost the game. The goalkeepers and the defensive players also made a difference. Cáceda, Melgar goalkeeper, may be considered guilty for at least one goal (the last one), and he could have done better at the other goals as well. Solís, on the other hand, had at least 10 saves, considering only the shots on the target, and not the other interventions, for instance crosses in the box, which he collected many times, providing security and trust to his own team.

FBC Melgar: Cáceda - E. Ramos, Lazo, Galeano, Diarte - T. Martínez (G. García 90'+2'), Arias (Bordacahar 46'), Tandazo, Cabrera (Blando 75') - Cuesta, Lavandeira (Sandoval 90'+1'). Manager: Pablo de Muner.

Cusco FC: Solís - Zevallos, Ramírez, Pérez, Tamariz (Bilbao 73') - Valenzuela, Aucca (R. Fernández 78') - Colitto, Colman, Silva (Morales 61') - Tévez (L. Ramos 78'). Manager: Miguel Rondelli.

Referee: Jesús Cartagena.

Yellow cards: Lazo 28', Cuesta 45'+1' - Solís 27', Colitto 64'.

The match was broadcasted by L1 Max. Extended highlights are available on YouTube (there are shorter highlights as well).

In the other match played on Friday, 26 January, UTC de Cajamarca won 1-0 at home over Deportivo Garcilaso. In the next round, also on Friday, 2 February, Cusco FC will face UTC de Cajamarca at home, on Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium, while FBC Melgar will play away at Universidad César Vallejo, in Trujillo.

Beni Mazar and Fayoum, unable to score

Beni Mazar SC - Fayoum SC 0-0

Friday, 26 January 2024, 2:30 pm local time (12:30 pm UTC), Markaz Shabab Matay Stadium, Matay, Egypt, 12th round of Second Division B, Group B.

The referees and the two captains before the start of the match. Source: Beni Mazar SC Facebook page

The match betwen Beni Mazar and Fayoum ended without goals, after a rather disappointing game. Both teams needed the points, but for different reasons: Beni Mazar to get out of the relegation zone, Fayoum to keep close to leaders Tersana. The draw does not help any of them too much, though Beni Mazar looked content at the end of the match.

The visitors had the upper hand most of the match, but were unable to score, although they had several chances, and twice they hit the post. First, Karim Rashad's shot went into the side post (6'), but that was the only clear opportunity for Fayoum in the first half. They maintained possession, but rarely created dangerous actions. On the other hand, Beni Mazar tried to reply on counterattacks, and nearly succeeded to break the deadlock in two occasions (36' and 40') towards the end of the first half.

Fayoum's manager made three changes at half time, hoping to improve the performance of his team. He was unfortunately wrong. Not only that Fayoum was unable to control the game as clearly as in the first half, but Beni Mazar had their biggest chance immediately after the start of the second half, when Fayoum goalkeeper Ahmed Moawad miraculously saved a shot from close range (48').

Then, the match was played mainly in the midfield, with very few chances for either team, each battling to control the game, which was very fragmented, with lost of interruptions due to heavy tackles. In the last 15 minutes, however, Fayoum recovered the lost ground and increased their pressure on the opposite goal. Ahmed Abdulaziz took a free kick from around 25 meters, hitting the post for the second time (78').

In the final minutes and in stoppage time, Fayoum tried hard to score the winning goal. After a corner taken by Islam Lamouna, Mohannad Zahran had a big opportunity, but he missed the target from just a few meters (90'+2').

The match was broadcasted on Facebook by Beni Mazar SC page: First half  Second half

Fayoum: Ahmed Moawad - Islam El Sayed Lamouna, Mohamed Nasser, Nabil Ismail, Ahmed Abdulaziz - Hamad Hassan (El Sayed Lotfy 46') - Taher Saad (Yassin Ali 46'), Salah El-Din Rifaat, Mahmoud Sami (Mohannad Zahran 64'), Karim Rashad (Mostafa Elhour 46') - Ali Abdel Aziz. Manager: Saeed Sobhi.

Referee: Amr Youssef.

Fayoum remain in second position, but once again they lose ground to leaders Tersana. Next week, they will play a potentially decisive match against Tersana, which might be their last hope to get closer to the leaders.

Full results, table, and fixtures:

 

Round 12 (26-27 January 2024)

 

Egypt Stars – El Minya 0-2

Tersana – Maghagha 2-1

Beni Mazar – Fayoum 0-0

Telephonat – Al Wasta to be played on 27 January

Tamya bye

 

Table

 

1	Tersana	10	8	2	0	23-3	26	Promotion to the Second Division
2	Fayoum	11	4	7	0	10-4	19
3	Egypt Stars	10	5	2	3	17-6	17
4	El Minya	10	4	4	2	14-12	16
5	Tamya	10	4	2	4	12-20	14
6	Beni Mazar	11	2	4	5	14-20	10
7	Telephonat	10	2	1	7	9-18	7
8	Maghagha	11	1	4	6	7-19	7
9	Al Wasta	9	0	6	3	7-11	6	Relegation to the Third Division

 

In case that two or more teams are equal on points, the goal difference is the main ranking criterion.

 

Round 13 (2 February 2024)

 

Fayoum – Tersana

El Minya – Tamya

Al Wasta – Beni Mazar

Maghagha – Egypt Stars

Telephonat bye

Jozef Motýl' is the new manager of 1. FK Svidník, Ján Čížek and Ladislav Oravec - assistant managers

After a very poor first half of the season, which 1. FK Svidník finished bottom of the table in the Slovak Third League - East, something had to be changed to avoid relegation. And indeed, though not usually the main culprits, managers are the ones who pay the price for the poor results of the team. As a result, manager Tomaš Suslo and his assistant (and sporting director) Rastislav Kupec were sacked during the winter break, and a new managerial team was brought along, in the hope that the team will somehow improve their performance and avoid relegation at the end of the season.

The new manager is Jozef Motýl', who previously managed teams in the area, such as Slovan Giraltovce and Tatran Kračúnovce. He will be helped by two local coaches, Ján Čížek and Ladislav Oravec, who have already been involved for some time with either the first team or the youth teams of 1. FK Svidník and therefore they have good knowledge of the local talents who should be promoted to the senior team.

Jozef Motýl' is the new 1. FK Svidník manager. Photo source: 1. FK Svidník Facebook page

1. FK Svidník have already started the winter preparations, as they played a friendly match away at Zemplín Michalovce U19, which they lost 2-1, after leading 1-0 at half time. In the second half, many prospective players were introduced to be tested, hence the defeat, which is however not important. Changes are going to be made in the roster as well, as better players are needed to improve the performance of the team in the second half of the season.

Other friendlies are about to be played as well: on 27 January 1. FK Svidník will face Tatran Kračúnovce (in Stropkov), on 3 February they will play against Gerlachov (in Bardejov) and on 11 February they will face L'ubotice (in Prešov).

The second half of the season will start on Sunday, the 3rd of March, when 1. FK Svidník will host the leaders and local rivals Tesla Stropkov.

Bourj FC qualified unproblematically to the quarter-finals of the Lebanese FA Cup

Bourj FC - Al Riyadi Al Abbasiya 4-0 (3-0)

Tidiane Camara 5', Mehdi Kanaan 7' (own goal), Mohamad Saleh 45'+1', Uday Al Shammari 85'

Saturday, 20 January 2024, 1:30 pm local time (11:30 am UTC), Al Ahed Stadium, Beirut - Bourj el Barajneh (Ouzai), Lebanon, Round of 16 of the Lebanese FA Cup.

Bourj FC players congratulate each other for a good cup performance. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

While the Lebanese national team participates to the 2024 Asian Cup, Lebanese clubs that do not have many players selected for the national team had the opportunity to play in the round of 16 of the Lebanese FA Cup, against Second Division teams. Bourj FC, third place in the Premier League, had the opportunity to face the leaders of the Second Division, Al Riyadi Al Abbasiya. Tehcnically, I think, Al Riyadi Al Abbasiya were the hosts, but in reality the match was played at Al Ahed Stadium, which is one of the home grounds for Bourj FC, and is even located in Bourj el Barajneh, the home town of Bourj FC.

Despite using a lot of young players, and some other players who did not play too much in the league, Bourj FC had no problem in winning this game, which became very easy after the first two goals, scored in the first seven minutes.

Tidiane Camara (right) scored the first goal of the match less than five minutes after the kick-off. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

Goalkeeper Abdelkarim Saleh sent a long ball to Tidiane Camara, who succeeded to control it in the opposite box, and to place a shot to the far post: 1-0 (5'). Just two minutes after, a cross from the left hit the crossbar, the ball came back into the field to Mehdi Kanaan, who wanted to head it wide, but hit the target, surprising the goalkeeper: 2-0 (7').

At 2-0, Bourj FC eased the pressure and maintained possession, missing a few other chances, especially by means of Ali Kassas. In the added time of the first half, a good action on the left side by Mohamad Hayek was continued with a clever pass to the right to Mohamad Saleh, who was unmarked, and able to score easily: 3-0 (45'+1').

Ali Chaito (in yellow and black) was one of the important players for Bourj FC in this match. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

In the second half, Al Riyadi Al Abbasiya dominated, but hardly had any chances. There were several changes in Bourj FC squad, with several key players coming in as well, apart from the youngsters. Despite the territorial domination exerted by the opponents, Bourj FC had several excellent counterattacks, but the forwards missed from very good positions. This time Ali Merkabawi was the one who missed most chances.

However, in the end, the fourth goal did come from another youngster, Uday Al Shammari, who scored from the centre of the box after a cross from Ali Merkabawi on the right, slightly deflected by Abou Baker Al Mel on the way: 4-0 (85').

Bourj FC players congratulate Uday Al Shammari and those who contributed to the fourth goal. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

For Bourj FC, this cup match was a good opportunity to test the level of some of the players, especially those who played less in the regular league season. The championship play-off is about to start, and there is need for physical, technical and tactical strength if a good result is to be achieved.

The match was broadcasted by the Lebanese Football Association on their YouTube page. Highlights are available on the Bourj FC Facebook page.

Bourj FC starting line-up: Abdelkarim Saleh - Mohamad El Dor, Saad Al Shawiki, Shadi Skaf, Mohamad Hayek - Hassan Chaito "Moni", Mohamad El Faour, Ali Chaito - Mohamad Saleh, Tidiane Camara, Ali Kassas. Manager: Hussein Tahan. In the second half several other players came in as substitutes: Houssem Louati, Ali Merkabawi, Abou Baker Al Mel "Bako", Uday Al Shammari, Bilal Al Sabbagh.

Another narrow win for Fayoum, consolidating their second place

Fayoum SC - Telephonat Beni Suef 1-0 (0-0)

Taher Saad 60'

Friday, 19 January 2024, 2:30 pm local time (12:30 om UTC), Ittihad Al Shorta Stadium, Cairo, Egypt, round 11 of the Egyptian Second Division B, Group B.

Fayoum starting line-up. Photo source: Fayoum SC Facebook page

Telephonat Beni Suef starting line-up. Photo source: Fayoum SC Facebook page

Both teams won their previous match, a week ago, so they were both in form, but one of them (Fayoum) is fighting for the top spot, while the other (Telephonat) is trying to avoid the last (relegation) spot in the table. 

This was quite visible in the field as well, because Fayoum dominated most of the match and missed quite a lot of chances, including a penalty in the first half. In the second half, they scored the only goal of the game after a good action on the left, followed by a good cross to the other side, where Taher Saad, unmarked, was able to score from short range: 1-0 (60').

Fayoum players celebrate their only goal of the match. Photo source: Fayoum SC Facebook page

After the goal, as usual, the tables turned, and Telephonat tried to come back in the game, but did not succeed.

The match was not broadcasted. A very short video including only the goal appeared on a specialized Facebook site.

Fayoum maintain themselves in the second place with this win, but they are still very far from the leaders Tersana. In the next round, they will play away at Beni Mazar.

Telephonat are in the relegation area, and they will play a very important match for this part of the table next week, at home against bottom placed Al Wasta.

Full results, table and fixtures:

 

Round 11 (19 January 2024)

 

Maghagha – Beni Mazar 1-1

Tamya – Egypt Stars 0-4

Fayoum – Telephonat 1-0

El Minya – Tersana postponed

Al Wasta bye

 

Table

 

1	Tersana	9	7	2	0	21-2	23	Promotion to the Second Division
2	Fayoum	10	4	6	0	10-4	18
3	Egypt Stars	9	5	2	2	17-4	17
4	Tamya	10	4	2	4	12-20	14
5	El Minya	9	3	4	2	12-12	13
6	Beni Mazar	10	2	3	5	14-20	9
7	Telephonat	10	2	1	7	9-18	7
8	Maghagha	10	1	4	5	6-17	7
9	Al Wasta	9	0	6	3	7-11	6	Relegation to the Third Division

 

In case that two or more teams are equal on points, the goal difference is the main ranking criterion.

 

Round 12 (26-27 January 2024)

 

Egypt Stars – El Minya

Tersana – Maghagha

Beni Mazar – Fayoum

Telephonat – Al Wasta

Tamya bye