Bourj FC remain leaders after narrow win over Hikma / Sagesse

Bourj FC - Hikma / Sagesse 2-1 (0-0)

Khaled Takaji 51', Richard Baffour 73' - Ali Karaki 66'.

Friday, 28 October 2022, 3 pm local time (12 noon UTC), Amin Abdelnour Stadium, Bhmadoun, Aley, Lebanon, 8th round of the Lebanese Premier League.

 Bourj FC starting line-up against Hikma / Sagesse. Photo source:the-lfa.com

After the first defeat this season, last week, 3-1 to Ansar, Bourj FC needed very much a positive result in the match against Hikma / Sagesse. Manager Osama Al Sakr made several changes to the starting eleven compared to last week, especially in defense and central midfield, and it eventually paid off.

The first half seemed to have been uninteresting, according to those who were able to witness it. MTV Sports broadcasted only the second half. Luckily, at least in terms of goals, the half time score was 0-0, so everything was to be decided in the second half.

Normally, Bourj FC were the ones who pushed for a goal, and this came early in the second half. Mohamad El Dor's cross from the right was headed back by Stephen Sarfo to Khaled Takaji, on the edge of the box, and his wicked shot passed through the legs of defenders and ended up in the net, to the left of the goalkeeper: 1-0 (51').

Khaled Takaji (in yellow) contributed decisively to Bourj's win. Photo source:the-lfa.com

Once in front, Bourj FC made a step back, allowing Hikma / Sagesse to come forward and attack, while Bourj FC applied the usual tactics of good defending and fast counterattacking. Nevertheless, the opponents succeeded to equalize, after an extraordinary individual action by Ali Karaki, who dribbled several players and then sent the ball in the upper left corner of the goal: 1-1 (66'). The former Bourj player refused to celebrate his great goal, as a sign of respect to his former team.

Of course, roles changed again, and Bourj FC went back in offensive mood. It did not last long until they took the lead again. Mohamed Sibaii "Wartan" executed a free kick from the right side, crossed the ball perfectly for Richard Baffour's header from short range: 2-1 (73').

Richard Baffour, impossible to be stopped in the air, scored the second Bourj goal. Photo source:the-lfa.com

Nothing of real importance happened until the end, and Bourj are sure of staying for at least another week on top of the league table.

Bourj FC starting line-up: Abdelkarim Saleh - Mohamad El Dor, Richard Baffour, Shadi Skaf, Mohamad Hammoud - Mohamad El Faour, Mohamed Sibaii "Wartan" - Denis Tetteh, Khaled Takaji, Mohamed Omar Sadek - Stephen Sarfo. Manager: Osama Al Sakr. Subs in the second half: Saad Shawiki, Hussein Al Outa, Ali Merkabaoui, Mahmoud Kawar.

Bourj FC achieved their first objective this season, to qualify for the play-off. Regarding their position within the top six (or the top five, to be more precise), the real tests will follow in the last three weeks of the regular season, when they will face Al Ahed, Nejmeh and Shabab Sahel, all among the strongest teams in the league.

Results, table and fixtures:

 

Round 8 (28-30 October 2022)

 

Shabab Sahel – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 4-0

Bourj – Hikma / Sagesse 2-1

Tadamon Sour – Al Ahed 0-1

Nejmeh – Safa 1-0

Ansar – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 3-0

AC Tripoli – Salam Zgharta 1-1

 

Table

 

1	Bourj	8	7	0	1	16-7	21
2	Ansar	8	6	2	0	24-5	20
3	Al Ahed	8	6	1	1	16-5	19
4	Nejmeh	8	6	1	1	13-4	19
5	Shabab Sahel	8	5	3	0	13-4	18
6	Safa	8	2	2	4	8-13	8
7	Tadamon Sour	8	2	2	4	9-12	8
8	Hikma / Sagesse	8	2	1	5	7-10	7
9	Shabab Al-Ghazieh	8	1	2	5	7-15	5
10	Salam Zgharta	8	1	1	6	5-13	4
11	Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley	8	1	0	7	7-20	3
12	AC Tripoli	8	0	3	5	2-19	3

 

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 9 (4-6 November 2022)

 

Safa – Shabab Sahel

Tadamon Sour – Nejmeh

Bourj – Al Ahed

AC Tripoli – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley

Ansar – Hikma / Sagesse

Salam Zgharta – Shabab Al Ghazieh

Al Nasr Lel Taa'den and Fayoum tied in a match with 3 penalties

Al Nasr Lel Taa'den - Fayoum 2-2 (1-1)

Hossam Hiradi 15' (penalty), 83' (penalty) - John Jamil 43' (penalty), Mohamed Jamal "Bibo" 51'.

Thursday, 27 October 2022, 3 pm local time (1 pm UTC), Al Nasr Lel Taa'den Stadium, Edfu, Aswan Governorate, Egypt, 3rd round of the Egyptian Second Division, Group A.

Newly-promoted Al Nasr Lel Taa'den had a perfect start of the season, with two wins in the first two matches, but their winning run ended in the third round, when they faced Fayoum SC on their home ground. Fayoum, on the other hand, had just one point after the first two matches, and were more than eager to add points to their record.

Actually, the visitors started better, and Mohamad Jamal tested the goalkeeper with a good shot (5'). However, Al Nasr Lel Taa'den scored first, after a penalty awarded quite easily by the referee after a possible contact in the box. Hossam Hiradi transformed the penalty: 1-0 (15').

The goal did not change much the manner in which the match was disputed, as Fayoum continued to have more ball possession and to initiate more attacks, while the hosts defended well and launched fastbreaks. Fayoum's pressure intensified towards the end of the first half, and they succeeded to equalize. A free kick from their own half was executed by a defender, who sent the ball towards Mohamed Jamal in the box. Al Nasr defenders were unable to intervene, while Mohamed Jamal headed the ball before the goalkeeper, who came out and kicked Mohamed Jamal instead of the ball (41'). The ball went a bit wide, but the referee awarded the penalty for Fayoum, which was transformed by John Jamil: 1-1 (43').

The second half started much the same way as the first, and Fayoum looked more dangerous. Mohamed Jamal had an individual action, which ended with a beautiful shot from outside the box, below the crossbar: 1-2 (51').

Mohamed Jamal "Bibo" prepares to shoot for Fayoum's second goal. Photo source: capture from the video broadcast of the match on Altwam Photomedia Facebook page

After taking the lead, Fayoum ceded the initiative to Al Nasr Lel Taa'den, probably not the best option, given that they had controlled the game so far. The host side accepted the new offensive role, and started attacking, as they had nothing to lose. Their pressure intensified towards the end of the game, and eventually bore fruit. After a cross from the left side, the ball reached the box near the far post, and something might have happened, because the referee awarded another penalty for Al Nasr Lel Taa'den. The same Hossam Hiradi transformed: 2-2 (83').

The final minutes were quite balanced, but neither of the two teams had the strength to score the winning goal.

Fayoum starting line-up: Ahmad Kandil - Mohammad Ashraf, El Sayed Kamal, Islam Ramadan, Mahmoud Arafat - Cissé, El Sayed Lotfy, Mahmoud Sami - John Jamil - Muhammad Tariq, Mohamed Jamal "Bibo". Subs in the second half: Salah El-Din Rifaat, Raymond Jamil, Afroto, Mahmoud Helmy, Hamad Hassan. Manager: Ahmed Abdel-Ghani.

In the next round, Fayoum SC will play at "home" against Telephonat Beni Suef, on Tuesday, 1 November 2022. The match will be played at Alassiouty Sport Resort Stadium, which is actually the home ground for both teams, as Fayoum Stadium is still unusable for Fayoum SC, while Telephonat moved out of Beni Suef. The two teams are suffering in the lower part of the table and one may anticipate a very tough game.

Full results, table and fixtures:

 

Round 3 (27-28 October 2022)

 

Telephonat – Shoban M. Qena 0-1

Aluminium – KIMA Aswan 1-2

Asyut Cement – Tamya 2-1

Misr Lel Makkasa – La Viena 2-1

Al Madina Al Monawara – Asyut Petroleum 1-2

Al Nasr Lel Taa’den – Fayoum 2-2

El Minya – Naser Mallawi to be played on 28 October

Dayrout – El Gouna to be played on 28 October

 

Table

 

1	Asyut Petroleum	3	2	1	0	6-3	7	Promotion to the Premier League
2	Al Nasr Lel Taa’den	3	2	1	0	4-2	7	Qualification for Second Division A
2	KIMA Aswan	3	2	1	0	4-2	7	Qualification for Second Division A
4	La Viena	3	2	0	1	7-5	6	Qualification for Second Division A
5	Asyut Cement	3	2	0	1	6-5	6	Qualification for Second Division A
6	Misr Lel Makkasa	3	1	2	0	3-2	5	Play-off Second Division A / B
7	Dayrout	2	1	1	0	2-0	4	Qualification for Second Division B
8	El Gouna	2	1	1	0	1-0	4	Qualification for Second Division B
9	Shoban M. Qena	3	1	1	1	2-2	4	Qualification for Second Division B
10	Naser Mallawi	2	1	0	1	1-2	3	Qualification for Second Division B
11	Fayoum	3	0	2	1	3-4	2	Qualification for Second Division B
12	El Minya	2	0	1	1	1-2	1	Qualification for Second Division B
13	Tamya	3	0	1	2	1-3	1	Qualification for Second Division B
14	Telephonat	3	0	1	2	0-2	1	Qualification for Second Division B
15	Aluminium	3	0	1	2	1-4	1	Qualification for Second Division B
16	Al Madina Al Monawara	3	0	0	3	3-7	0	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 4 (1-2 November 2022)

 

Fayoum – Telephonat

El Gouna – Al Nasr Lel Taa’den

Shoban M. Qena – Asyut Cement

Tamya – El Minya

Naser Mallawi – Al Madina Al Monawara

Asyut Petroleum – Misr Lel Makkasa

La Viena – Aluminium

KIMA Aswan – Dayrout