AC Tripoli - Bourj FC 0-1 (0-1)
Tidiane Camara 14'
Saturday, 5 August 2023, 5 pm local time (2 pm UTC), Mirdachyyé - Salam Zgharta Sports Complex, Zgharta, Lebanon, 1st round of the regular season, Lebanese Premier League.
The Lebanese Premier League started earlier than ever this year, in the first week of August, given the tight schedule of the Lebanese national team in autumn, winter and upcoming spring. Therefore, Lebanese teams had to be ready for this early start, and to finish all the transfers as soon as possible.
Heat is one of the main concerns, and indeed the matches were very much affected by the very high temperatures, quite usual at this time of the year. However, in the match between AC Tripoli and Bourj FC, the players resisted well for the entire game, which was very physical in some moments.
Bourj FC were favorites, and they started offensively, Houssem Louati missing a very early opportunity (4'). Ten minutes later, after a much debated free kick, Mohamad El Dor crossed from the right, goalkeeper Ahmad Taktouk did not reach the ball and Senegalese striker Tidiane Camara was in the right place, sending the ball home, despite one defender's opposition: 0-1 (14').
Tidiane Camara (#88, in the centre-left, near the far post) scored the only goal of the match after a cross by Mohamad El Dor from the right. Source: caption from the match video on FIFA+
After the goal, the game became more balanced, as AC Tripoli normally wanted to equalize. Their newly-arrived Brazilian Gerônimo Lopes Silva broke through the Bourj defense but, one on one with the goalkeeper, his shot to the far post went slightly wide (28'). Goalkeeper Ali Halal made a good save a few minutes later when Ghazi El Hussein had a shot on target (31'). Before the break, it was Ahmad Taktouk's turn to save a great shot by Houssem Louati (41').
The game continued very much in the same manner in the second half. Houssem Louati (the man of the match) had another chance to double the difference, but was denied once again (50'). At the other end of the pitch, Tripoli's biggest chance for an equalizer came from the foot of the goalscorer himself, Tidiane Camara, who almost scored an own goal as well, when he accidentally hit the ball into his own crossbar after a cross from the right into the box, missed by the Tripoli players, but not by him (57'). Luckily for him, Tidiane Camara remained the hero of this game only for Bourj FC, not for the opponents!
Both teams missed several other important chances to score, and tension slightly grew in the field towards the end. Bourj FC managed to control the game, although they had problems in maintaing possession, until Prosper Donkor came in as a substitute and brought clarity and cleanliness in midfield.
AC Tripoli starting line-up: Ahmad Taktouk - Mohamad Sharif Al Sibaii, James Innocent, Saad Youssef, Omar Kayed, Mohamad Korhani, Abdul Razzak Dakramanji, Abdallah Ali, Alaa Ezzo, Ghazi El Hussein, Gerônimo Lopes Silva. Manager: Osama El Saqr.
Bourj FC: Ali Halal - Mohamad El Dor, Khodor Hallak, Shadi Skaf, Mohamad Zain Tahan - Mohamad Sibaii "Wartan" (Ali Chaito 62'), Mohamad El Faour - Abou Bakr Al-Mel "Bako" (Mohamad Saleh 57'), Houssem Louati, Ali Merkabawi (Hilal El Helwe 57') - Tidiane Camara (Prosper Donkor 74'). Manager: Hussein Tahan.
Referee: Ali Reda.
Yellow cards: Mohamad Korhani 85' - Mohamad Zain Tahan 65', Mohamad El Faour 87'.
The results of the other matches in the first round (all played in fact on neutral grounds):
Tadamon Sour - Shabab Al-Ghazieh 2-0
Hikma / Sagesse - Shabab Sahel 1-3
Nejmeh - Safa 3-0
Al Ahed - Racing 5-1
Al-Ahly Nabatieh - Ansar 2-2
In the next round, Bourj FC will face Shabab Al-Ghazieh on Saturday, 12 August, kick-off at 5 pm local time, at Safa Stadium, while AC Tripoli will play against Shabab Sahel, again on Mirdachyyé Stadium (Salam Zgharta Sports Complex), on Sunday, 13 August, kick-off at 5 pm local time. All matches are broadcasted live (and free) on FIFA+ website and application.
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