Bourj FC - Ansar 1-3 (0-2)
Khaled Takaji 47' - Hassan Maatouk 11', El Hadji Malick Tall 32', 66'.
Saturday, 22 October 2022, 4:45 pm local time (1:45 pm UTC), Fouad Chehab Stadium, Jounieh, Lebanon, the 7th round of the Lebanese Premier League.
Bourj FC before the start of the game. Photo source: the-lfa.com
Ansar before the start of the game. Photo source: the-lfa.com
After six wins in a row this season, the first real test for Bourj FC came in the seventh round, when they faced second placed Ansar, and one of the strongest candidates for the title. Bourj FC failed the test, losing 3-1, and now they are just one point above their opponents in the table.
Bourj FC tried to control the game by having more ball possession but this tactic was useless. Ansar responded with very strong and fast counterattacks, which gave them many opportunities to score goals. Their first goal came early, after such a break, as El Hadji Malick Tall was launched on the left side, overtook Khodor Hallak and assisted Hassan Maatouk, whose shot to the far post went in: 0-1 (11').
Bourj once again resumed the slow build-up of attacks, which rarely gave them a proper goal chance. On the other hand, each Ansar counterattack provoked panic and chaos in Bourj defense. A very smart pass behind the defenders opened up the opportunity for Hassan Maatouk, who, all alone with Abdelkarim Saleh, preferred to assist El Hadji Malick Tall, who just had to push the ball into the empty net: 0-2 (32').
Hassan Maatouk provided the pass for the second goal, despite opposition from Bourj FC goalkeeper, Abdelkarim Saleh. Photo source: the-lfa.com
The first shot on target from Bourj FC came towards the end of the first half, but Khaled Takaji was denied by Hadi Kanj (43').
The second half started better for Bourj FC. Dennis Tetteh had a good run on the right side, then he came towards the center and passed to Khaled Takaji, just outside the box. This time, Khaled Takaji's shot went just below the crossbar: 1-2 (47').
There were hopes for Bourj FC that may be back in the game, and they certainly looked for an equalizer, increasing the pressure in attack. However, they once again left a lot of space in defense, and Ansar strikers knew how to make profit out of it when they had the chance. After a Bourj corner, the same duo Hassan Maatouk - El Hadji Malick Tall escaped two against two Bourj defenders (in fact the two defensive midfielders, Hussein Ibrahim and Mohamad Al Faour), and once again Hassan Maatouk provided the assist, and El Hadji Malick Tall scored with a powerful shot from inside the box: 1-3 (66').
The two Ansar goalscorers: El Hadji Malick Tall and Hassan Maatouk. Photo source: the-lfa.com
It looked like the match was pretty much over, and indeed Bourj FC efforts diminished as the end of the match was approaching. One should note two strong long-range shots, one by Richard Baffour (73') for Bourj FC and another one by Hassan Maatouk (85') for Ansar, but none of them went in.
Photo source: the-lfa.com
Bourj FC: Abdelkarim Saleh - Youssef Anbar (Mohamed Hammoud 70'), Richard Baffour, Khodor Hallak, Shadi Skaf - Youssef Barakat (Mohamad Al Faour 39'), Hussein Ibrahim (Mohamed Sibaii "Wartan" 70') - Dennis Tetteh, Khaled Takaji (Ali Chaito 90'+1'), Mohamad Sadek (Mahmoud Kaawar 70') - Stephen Sarfo. Manager: Osama El Sakr.
Ansar: Hadi Kanj - Nassar Nassar, Maxim Aoun (Hussein Al Dor 65'), Ichaka Diarra (Khaled Ali 83'), Abdullah Aich (Hassan Shaito "Shabriko" 58') - Yahya El Hindi (Ghazi Hneineh 65'), Houssam Lawati, Ali Tneich "Al Sisi" - Hassan Maatouk, El Hadji Malick Tall, Karim Darwish (Nader Matar 65'). Manager: Jamal Taha.
Referee: Muhammad Issa.
Yellow cards: Khaled Takaji (45'), Stephen Sarfo (70') - Abdullah Aich (13'), Karim Darwish (65'), Ghazi Hneineh (90'+5').
Red card: Ghazi Hneineh (after the end of the game, but still in the field).
In the next round, Bourj will face Hikma / Sagesse technically at home (but probably at Al Ahed Stadium), while Ansar will play agasint Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, also at home on paper (but most likely at Fouad Chehab Stadium).
Full results, table and fixtures:
Round 7 (20-23 October 2022)
Safa – Al Ahed 0-4
Nejmeh – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 2-0
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Salam Zgharta 2-0
Bourj – Ansar 1-3
AC Tripoli – Shabab Sahel 0-0
Tadamon Sour – Hikma / Sagesse 2-1
Table
|
1 |
Bourj |
7 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
14-6 |
18 |
|
|
2 |
Ansar |
7 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
21-5 |
17 |
|
|
3 |
Al Ahed |
7 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
15-5 |
16 |
|
|
4 |
Nejmeh |
7 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
12-4 |
16 |
|
|
5 |
Shabab Sahel |
7 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
9-4 |
15 |
|
|
6 |
Safa |
7 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
8-12 |
8 |
|
|
7 |
Tadamon Sour |
7 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
9-11 |
8 |
|
|
8 |
Hikma / Sagesse |
7 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
6-8 |
7 |
|
|
9 |
Shabab Al-Ghazieh |
7 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
7-11 |
5 |
|
|
10 |
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley |
7 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
7-17 |
3 |
|
|
11 |
Salam Zgharta |
7 |
1 |
0 |
6 |
4-12 |
3 |
|
|
12 |
AC Tripoli |
7 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
1-18 |
2 |
|
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 (28-30 October 2022)
Ansar – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley
AC Tripoli – Salam Zgharta
Bourj – Hikma / Sagesse
Tadamon Sour – Al Ahed
Shabab Sahel – Shabab Al-Ghazieh
Nejmeh – Safa
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