Bourj starts the 2021 Challenge Cup with a 1-0 win over AC Tripoli

Tuesday, 13 July 2021, 5:30 pm local time (2:30 pm UTC), Fouad Chehab Stadium, Jounieh, Lebanon, match 1 of Group A, Lebanese Challenge Cup.

The 2021-2022 season started in Lebanon with the Elite Cup (for the top six teams of the previous season) and the Challenge Cup (for teams classified 7 to 10 and the two newly-promoted teams). Bourj only classified seventh in 2020-2021, so they started again the Challenge Cup, where they are in fact defending champions, as they won the last edition in 2019. The 2020 Elite and Challenge cups were not held due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Bourj FC had an interesting transfer window. They lost several key players - captain Walid Ismail to Hekmeh / La Sagesse, striker Fadel Antar to Shabab Sahel, and the talented young forwards Zain Al Abidin Farran and Mohammad Nasser to Al Ahed. However, they brought in many new players: playmaker Abbas Ali Atwi "Onika", from Ansar, who came back to Bourj after almost 20 years (he last played for Bourj in 2001-2002!), winger Abou Baker Al-Mel, who returned from Malaysia, midfielder Youssef Atriss, who came back after several years, last playing for Shabab Al Ghazieh. Hassan Abdallah Bitar and Youssef Anbar, both from champions Ansar, as well as Shadi Skaff, from Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, are meant to strengthen the defense. Strikers Akram Moghrabi, from Safa, and young Ali Merkabaoui, from Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, would fill the place left by Fadel Antar. Hassan Hammoud "Nouna" from Shabab Al Ghazieh and Ali Kharoubi from Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley are good additions for the midfield, while goalkeepers Hassan Moghnieh from Ansar and Mohammad Issa from Al Islah Al Bourj Al Shimaly would compete with Abdel Karim Saleh. 

 Bourj FC starting XI. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page

The match against AC Tripoli in the first round of the Challenge Cup provided a good opportunity to try out some of the new players and to work on their integration with the existing players. Abbas Atwi "Onika" became the new captain.

The two captains, Ahmad Moghrabi (left, AC Tripoli) and Abbas Atwi "Onika" (Bourj FC) before the start of the game. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page

The match was largely controlled by Bourj FC, which attacked more and created more goal chances. In the first half, a few long-range shots by Abou Baker Al-Mel were not enough to break the deadlock. The goal finally came right before the break: Hussein Al Outa, on the left side, launched Akram Moghrabi in the box, and his shot to the far side hit the post and then came in: 0-1 (45').

Akram Moghrabi (in yellow) and Tripoli's goalkeeper, Ahmad Korhani, are both watching as the ball slowly moves towards the target. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page

In the second half, Bourj FC had several opportunities to double their advantage, but their strikers missed. AC Tripoli only started to seek for the equalizing goal in the last 10 minutes, when Abdel Karim Saleh had two great saves, keeping a clean sheet and the three points for Bourj FC.

AC Tripoli: Ahmad Korhani - Mohammad Korhani, Abdelrazzak Dakramanji, Ahmad Moghrabi (cpt.), Adnan El Kheir (Mohammad Arja 46') - Bassam Zakaria, Ghazi Hussein (Ghazi Ramzi Hussein 65'), Said El Ali (Khaled El Jassem 46') - Alaa Ezzo (Omar Khayed 84'), Ali El Rachid, Samir Abdelrahman (Fouad Eid 74'). Manager: Saad Jamil.

Bourj FC: Abdel Karim Saleh - Mohammad El Dor, Ahmad Al Khatib, Shadi Skaff, Ibrahim Abou Hamdan (Hassan Bitar 46') - Mohammad Al Faour, Youssef Atriss (Mohamad Kassem 68'), Abbas Atwi "Onika" (Ali Kharoubi 82') - Abou Baker Al Mel (Samih Damaj 78'), Akram Moghrabi, Hussein Al Outa (Ali Merkabaoui 68'). Manager: Fouad Hijazi.

Yellow card: Mohammad Al Faour 64'.

In the second match of Group A, on Saturday, AC Tripoli and Shabab El Bourj drew 1-1. Due to this result, Bourj FC are mathematically promoted to the semifinals of the Challenge Cup, where they will most likely face one of the two newly-promoted teams. In the meantime, they will have to play the decisive match for Group A, against their local rivals, Shabab El Bourj, on Wednesday, 21 July, at 5:30 pm. All matches of Group A are played at Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh.

If Bourj do not lose the match against Shabab El Bourj, they will win Group A and will play against the second classified in Group B in the semifinals. If they lose, they will only classify second, and will play against the first place of Group B in the semifinals.