The best of 2021

2021 has been the year when things have slowly come back to ”normal”, although we are still quite far away from the normality we had before the pandemic. The eight teams that we are concerned with (so far) - Bourj FC, Fayoum SC, Cusco FC, 1. FK Svidník, OFK Tryavna, Total Soccer, Maaraba SC and Pepiniere FC - had very different achievements. However, the word ”achievement” might be too much for some of them, that achieved nothing or were relegated.

The best performance by far belong to Bourj FC. They finished 7th in the 2020-2021 season of the Lebanese League, and reached the semifinals of the Lebanese FA Cup twice, once in spring, and once recently, and they are still competing for the 2021-2022 Cup. Their biggest performance came in summer, when they won the Challenge Cup again, thus retaining it (the last Challenge Cup was held in 2019, when Bourj FC were also winners). Bourj FC are undefeated in the 2021-2022 season of the Lebanese League, are classified fourth after seven rounds, and have high hopes of classifying in the top six after eleven rounds, to compete in the championship play-off.

Most of the other teams were involved in the fight to avoid relegation. One exception has been Fayoum SC, which had a decent 2020-2021 season, as they finished sixth, and had a remarkable run of eight consecutive matches in which they were undefeated and therefore went out of the fight to avoid relegation. The 2021-2022 season started quite well for them, although they again changed the head coach, and had another series of seven matches (in a row) undefeated, and are now also sixth in the table of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A.

Total Soccer had an excellent year in terms of the senior team, which participated in the Primera A of the Antioquia Football League (one of the regional leagues in Colombia). Unfortunately, the Colombian Youth Championship was not held this year, and Total Soccer did not enroll for the nation-wide Primera C, so all their efforts were dedicated to the Antioquia Football League. They finished top of the table in Stage 1 of the competition, then they had a good performance in the following stages, and reached the final of the tournament, where they however lost 1-0 to Águilas Doradas B (the main team of which plays in the nation-wide Primera A). So, Total Soccer are vice-champions of the Antioquia Football League in their first complete year, as they have just promoted in 2019, and the 2020 season was interrupted.

The other teams fought for survival in their leagues. Cusco FC had an unexpectedly difficult year and they succeeded to save themselves from relegation in the very last round, also with some luck due to other results. It was the worse year in their history, and to change that, the club management seem to prepare very well the next season, including several outstanding transfers. The 2022 Peruvian First Division will start soon, in January, and teams are expected to play the home games on their own grounds, at last. This might be another advantage for Cusco FC, due to altitude.

1. FK Svidník were also saved from relegation, due to a combination of facts, including their classification (second to last), and the fact that another team withdrew for the 2021-2022 season, so they were allowed to enroll for the Slovak Third Division, East Group, again, as first below the relegation line. However, their season so far was disastrous, as they have no point whatsoever. Another miracle might be needed for them to stay for one more year in the Third Division.

OFK Tryavna, on the other hand, did not survive in the Bulgarian Third Division, North-West Group. Their spring part of the 2020-2021 season was awful, and they finished last. However, there are big plans for a come-back, as the 2021-2022 season of the regional Gabrovo League started off well, and they are top of the table so far, so they might be back in the Third Division in 2022 if everything goes smoothly.

There are worrying signs for Pepiniere FC. They participated in the very short season of the 2020-2021 Rwandan Second Division, finishing last in their group. However, the main cause for worry is that they did not enroll for the 2021-2022 Second Division, which is played in normal format, and for the moment they are not enrolled in any competition, as far as we know. The same is true for Maaraba SC, but in their case, the situation seems to be the same for some time.

Best team

Bourj FC

Best performance

Bourj FC - AC Tripoli 4-2 (Challenge Cup final)

Best manager

Juan Gabriel Sepúlveda (Total Soccer)

Best player

Mahmoud Kamal ”Schmeichel” (Fayoum SC)

A Happy New Year to everyone!

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

A goal in stoppage time gave Aswan a hard-fought win over Fayoum

Aswan SC - Fayoum SC 2-1 (1-0)

Mohamed El Ashry 21', Mohamed Gouda 90'+4' - Islam El Sayed Lamouna 50'.

Saturday, 25 December 2021, 2:30 pm local time (12:30 pm UTC), Aswan Stadium, Aswan, Egypt, the 12th round of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A.

The positive run of seven consecutive matches undefeated ended for Fayoum SC on Saturday, after their away game at leaders Aswan SC. They were not too far from preventing Aswan SC to climb on that top spot once again - just a few minutes of stoppage time.

The referees and the two team captains before the start of the game. Goalkeeper Islam Emad Risha (in pink) was again Fayoum SC captain. Source: Aswan SC Facebook page

The game started off very well for Aswan SC, which created several big goal opportunities right from the beginning, one missed by little (3') and one shot into the side post (13'). The goal eventually came not before long: a free kick from the right side was perfectly executed for centre back Mohamed El Ashry to head it in from short range: 1-0 (21').

After the goal, the attacks of Aswan SC decreased in intensity, although they still had several chances to double their advantage. Gradually, the visitors also began to raid the opposite half, posing yet no real threat for Aswan SC goal. The first half ended with Aswan leading 1-0 and giving the impression that they would win easily.

 Aswan SC (in blue) attacked most of the game. Source: Aswan SC Facebook page

Therefore, it was a total surprise when Fayoum SC started the second half in an offensive manner, clearly meaning to equalize. Mahmoud Abd Elsalam Gresha had a first shot, wide (48'), but the alarm did not sound properly for Aswan. The same Mahmoud Abd Elsamal Gresha crossed from the left, and Islam El Sayed Lamouna positioned his right foot as to properly direct the ball into the net from the centre of the box: 1-1 (50').

The match continued rather balanced, because the visitors seemed quite content with the draw and diminished their attacks, while the hosts needed some time to adapt to the situation, and to resume their offensive. A long ball into Fayoum SC box was chased by several players, including Fayoum defender Hamad Hassan and goalkeeper Islam Emad Risha, who clashed. The Aswan forward was however unable to score, as his shot hit Mahmoud Kamal "Schmeichel", the last man before the goal (68'). It was the biggest goal-scoring opportunity for Aswan in the second half, except for the very late goal. As a result of the clash, Hamad Hassan had to be replaced and was transported by the ambulance, while goalkeeper Islam Emad Risha continued to play, but was clearly injured, limping for the rest of the game. The match was stopped for 7 minutes to allow the goalkeeper to recover and the ambulance to take the defender.

 Aswan SC pressure increased towards the end of the game. Source: Aswan SC Facebook page

So, the game resumed in 75', and all that remained could be described as an overall assault of Aswan SC. The visitors were really heroic in defending the draw, Islam Emad Risha and the defense had some crucial interventions along the way, but they were eventually beaten in stoppage time. The referee gave 10 minutes of stoppage time, and in the fourth one another long ball was desperately sent into Fayoum SC box, and this time was controlled by Mohamed Gouda, in between the defenders and very close to the goalkeeper, but he somehow managed to sneak the ball in for the win: 2-1 (90'+4'). 

In the remaining six minutes, Fayoum tried the impossible, but instead they almost received another goal, only avoided by a spectacular intervention of Islam Emad Risha.

Fayoum SC: Islam Emad Risha - Islam El Sayed Lamouna, Hamad Hassan (Ahmed Saber Mansheya 73'), Mahmoud Kamal "Schmeichel", Ali El-Sakhr - Ali Abo Elela, Ahmed Mohamed Roni, Hossam Hassan (Mohamed Morsi 39'), Mahmoud Abd Elsalam Gresha (Salah Ashraf 89') - Abdel Moati Mohamed - Alaa El Din Metwally. Manager: Sayed Sobhi.

It must be said that several important players for Fayoum were unable to attend the game for several reasons, mainly because of injuries, and therefore manager Sayed Sobhi had to adapt the team according to those able to play.

The next round will be played on the 1st of January 2022, when Fayoum will play at home the local derby against Tamya, while Aswan will have a very difficult game away at Aluminium.

Full results, table and fixtures:

Round 12 (25-27 December 2021)

 

Aswan – Fayoum 2-1

Beni Suef – Naser Mallawi 1-0

Telephonat – KIMA Aswan 0-0

El Minya – Sohag 1-1

Al Madina Al Monawara – Asyut Petroleum 1-0

Qena – Aluminium 1-1

El Badari – Media 0-1

Tamya – Dayrout – to be played on Monday, 27 December

 

Table

 

1	Aswan	12	8	3	1	19-9	27	Promotion to the Premier League
2	KIMA Aswan	12	7	5	0	18-10	26
3	Aluminium	12	5	5	2	18-9	20
4	Asyut Petroleum	12	5	5	2	15-7	20
5	El Minya	12	5	5	2	16-9	20
6	Fayoum	12	5	4	3	12-12	19
7	Beni Suef	12	4	6	2	15-13	18
8	Dayrout	11	4	5	2	11-8	17
9	Al Madina Al Monawara	12	4	3	5	15-13	15
10	Tamya	11	3	3	5	9-11	12
11	Sohag	12	2	6	4	9-11	12
12	Naser Mallawi	12	3	3	6	11-17	12
13	Media	12	2	4	6	7-16	10	Relegation to the Third Division
14	Telephonat	12	1	5	6	7-15	8	Relegation to the Third Division
15	El Badari	12	2	2	8	10-24	8	Relegation to the Third Division
16	Qena	12	1	4	7	11-19	7	Relegation to the Third Division

 

In case that two or more teams are equal on points, the main ranking criteria are the results of the head-to-head matches.

 

Round 13 (1 January 2021)

 

Aluminium – Aswan

Sohag – El Badari

El Minya – Al Madina Al Monawara

Naser Mallawi – Asyut Petroleum

Dayrout – Beni Suef

Media – Telephonat

Fayoum – Tamya

KIMA Aswan – Qena