No goals on a rainy day

Bourj FC - Nejmeh 0-0

Saturday, 3 February 2024, 4 pm local time (2 pm UTC), Fouad Chehab Stadium, Jounieh, Lebanon, 1st round of the championship play-off, Lebanese Premier League.

Bourj FC starting line-up. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

Nejmeh starting line-up. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

The two team captains and the referees before the start of the game. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

After more than one month of break due to the Christmas holidays, the New Year and the participation of the Lebanese national team to the Asian Cup, the Lebanese League resumed with the first round of matches in the play-off and in the play-out. Regular season leaders Nejmeh took on third place Bourj FC, theoretically on Bourj FC home ground, and practically at Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh, which may be considered as a neutral ground for both teams.

Goalkeeper Ali Halal (Bourj FC) collected yet another ball in his box, protected by Mohamed Zein Tahan (right), Shadi Skaf (behind him) and Ahmad Saleh (behind the goalkeeper) in front of lonely Nejmeh forward Zaher Smahi. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

The match was much impacted by the unusual rainy weather, which also affected the artificial turf of the stadium, clearly not prepared to take so much water in such a small period of time. As a result, the game was more physical than usual, and the technical advantage that Nejmeh could have claimed to have was all gone. The strongest players were the most useful in the field, winning tackles and sending the ball away from the dangerous areas. Attacks were difficult to build up, and any pass at ground level was uncertain. 

Ahmad Kheiredine (Nejmeh) surrounded by Bourj FC defensive midfielders, Prosper Donkor (left) and Mohamad El Faour (right). Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

Nejmeh was the team that tried to be more offensive from the very beginning, while Bourj FC applied the usual defensive tactics when they play against better-ranked teams. This time, this defensive tactic worked very well, because Nejmeh were simply unable to break through the Bourj defense with their normal passing and had to try with long or high balls, that were easily cleared away by the defenders or collected by the goalkeeper.

Ali Markabawi (Bourj FC) and Abdallah Moghrabi (Nejmeh) in an aerial fight for the ball. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

In the first half, Nejmeh had only one real chance to score, a long-range shot by Mehdi El Zein which hit the crossbar (13'). This, to be honest, was their biggest chance in the whole match. Shots from range were one of the solutions to detour the opposite defence and have a chance, also slightly taking advantage of the wet turf if the shot was at ground level or (even better) hit the ground before the goalkeeper, but later attempts failed. Another opportunity was to head at least one of the high balls crossed in the box, usually from set pieces, but there was only header that created some danger, that of Kassem El Zein (Nejmeh), but Ali Halal saved (30').

Houssem Louati (Bourj FC) and Artiom Litveacov (Nejmeh) in a duel of the foreigners. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

In the second half, not much changed. Nejmeh continued their offensive charges, with very limited success, because Bourj FC defended well and even strengthened their defensive lines, sensing that this is a very good chance to smuggle a point. Most of Nejmeh attacks finished with shots that went either far from the target, blocked by the defenders, or, in last instance, by goalkeeper Ali Halal.

On the other hand, Bourj FC could have even snatched three points, with some luck and a better referee (or perhaps VAR, which is not yet implemented in Lebanon). A long ball by Ali Halal was headed by Tidiane Camara to Mohamad Saleh, who nearly escaped towards the goal, but was tackled (pushed) by Mahed Sabra on the edge of the box and fell (69'). The referee decided that there was nothing wrong. The decision is really difficult to assess. First of all, it should be decided whether this was a foul or no. In my opinion, anywhere else in the field, this would have been interpreted as a foul. In this case, because it could have been a penalty that might have changed the history of this game, the referee took the easiest decision, to let it go. Second, in case it was a foul, was it inside or outside the box? If outside, it would have been a free kick and a red card for the defender. If inside, this would have been a penalty. Hard to say, even after a few replays: it starts slightly outside the box, but it continues inside the box, and Mohamad Saleh only fell inside the box. I think VAR would be needed in such cases.

Bilal Najdi (Nejmeh) with the ball, chased by Tidiane Camara (Bourj FC). Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

Nejmeh intensifed their attacks in the last 20 minutes, and they also made some offensive changes which clearly put more pressure on the opposite defense, but to no avail. The biggest opportunity in stoppage time in fact belonged to Bourj FC. On a very lonely counterattack on the left side, Tidiane Camara almost surprised Ali Al Sabeh with a shot at the near post, but Nejmeh goalkeeper corrected in time his position and was able to save (90'+2').

Tidiane Camara (Bourj FC) with the ball, marked by Maher Sabra (Nejmeh), and watched by his teammate Ali Markabawi (Bourj FC) and Artiom Litveacov (Nejmeh), had a good opportunity in stoppage time. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

The draw does not really help any of the teams, which both lost their position in their table: Nejmeh are now second due to a worse goal difference than leaders Al Ahed, while Bourj FC dropped in fourth, also due to the lower number of goals scored than Safa.

Bourj FC: Ali Halal - Mohamed Zein Tahan (Mohamad El Dor 46'), Ahmad Saleh, Shadi Skaf, Mohamad Al Hayek - Mohamad El Faour (Bilal Sabbagh 63'), Prosper Donkor - Ali Markabawi (Hassan Chaito "Moni" 86'), Houssem Louati (Khodor Hallak 90'+3'), Ali Kassas (Mohamed Saleh 62') - Tidiane Camara. Manager: Hussein Tahan.

Nejmeh: Ali Al Sabeh - Abdallah Moghrabi, Kassem El Zein, Artiom Litveacov, Maher Sabra - Vítor Barata, Bilal Najdi (Mohamad Al-Markabawi 81'), Ahmad Kheiredine - Mehdi El Zein (Hassan Kourani 67'), Zaher Smahi (Everton Nascimento 56'), Khalil Bader. Manager: Paulo Menezes.

Referee: Hussein Abou Yehia.

The match was broadcasted by MTV Sports, on TV, YouTube and Facebook. Full match is available on Facebook: First half  Second half. On YouTube the first half is only available from the 19th minute: First half  Second half.

In the next round, Bourj FC will face new leaders Al Ahed on Wenesday, 7 February, while Nejmeh will face Safa on Saturday, 10 February.

Full results, table and fixtures:

 

Round 1 (2-4 February 2024)

 

Al Ahed – Ansar 1-1

Bourj – Nejmeh 0-0

Racing – Safa 0-1

 

      Table

 

1	Al Ahed	1	0	1	0	32-7	15
2	Nejmeh	1	0	1	0	25-11	15
3	Safa	1	1	0	0	23-17	12	(+)
4	Bourj	1	0	1	0	17-11	12	(+)
5	Ansar	1	0	1	0	21-14	11
6	Racing	1	0	0	1	19-20	8	(+)

 

(+) Points have been rounded up.

 

Round 2 (7-10 February 2024)

 

Al Ahed – Bourj

Ansar – Racing

Safa – Nejmeh

Subs bring dramatic end to an otherwise boring match

Cusco FC - UTC Cajamarca 1-1 (0-0)

L. Ramos 84' - K. Ruiz 90'+2'.

Friday, 2 February 2024, 3 pm local time (8 pm UTC), Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium, Cusco, Peru, Round 2, Apertura, Peruvian First Division (Liga 1).

Both teams had started very well the 2024 season of the Peruvian First Division: Cusco FC had won 3-2 away at FBC Melgar, while UTC de Cajamarca had won 1-0 at home over Deportivo Garcilaso. So there were pretty high expectations regarding this match, between two winning teams that clearly wanted to continue their positive run. One could not have been more mistaken about it. 

 The two teams come out to the field of play. Photo source: UTC Facebook page

In the first half, nothing really important happened. Cusco FC had more ball possession (72%), but did not know what to do with the ball. UTC defended staunchly, and sometimes launched some counterattacks, but they were not really dangerous either. There were simply no real gol opportunities, the only potentially dangerous actions came from set pieces, mostly corner kicks, which however led to nothing. On the other hand, the game was very much fragmented, lots of fouls and free kicks, but mostly in the center of the field, and a few yellow cards. Expected goals at half-time: 0.11 to 0.11. Score at half-time: 0-0.

There was a lot of fight for the ball. Photo source: Cusco FC Facebook page

In the second half, things improved, but not right from the beginning. One had to wait until the 63rd minute to see the first clear action on goal, which actually ended up with a goal, scored by Lucas Colitto after a brillian assist from Iván Colman. Nevertheless, the goal was cancelled for offside after VAR revision, despite the fact that Colitto was not himself in offside, but Vásquez. However, the referees interpreted that Vásquez interfered with the action, because he positioned himself in such a way as to block a defender who might have challenged the ball.

 Lucas Colitto was very close to scoring once again. Photo source: Cusco FC Facebook page

A few minutes afterwards, a long pass from the left side from the same Iván Colman found Lucas Colitto in an even better position, but this time goalkeeper Zubczuk blocked (72').

Cusco FC continued to press, and manager Miguel Rondelli introduced striker Luis Ramos to improve the attack, which until then had only Tévez as central forward. The sub was immediately visible. Iván Colman executed a corner kick from the right side, and Luis Ramos headed in from short range: 1-0 (84'). Goalkeeper Zubczuk was on the ball but was surprisingly unable to catch it, and it went through his hands, and a defender cleared, but only after the ball obviously crossed the goal line entirely.

Luis Ramos (left) scored his first goal for Cusco FC. Photo source: Cusco FC Facebook page

This could have been the end of the story, and certainly Cusco FC thought so. Nevertheless, the visitors did not agree to it, and their manager, Carlos Ramacciotti, made some offensive changes. Already in stoppage time, Pedro Requena crossed from the right, and recently-entered Kevin Ruiz headed the ball in, despite being marked by Jonathan Bilbao: 1-1 (90'+2'). Goalkeeper Solís, after a great match one week ago in Arequipa, just watched the ball entering the net.

Cusco FC: Solís - Zevallos, R. Ramírez, A. Pérez, Tamariz - Aucca (L. Ramos 80') - Colitto (R. Fernández 90'), A. Vásquez (Valenzuela 80'), Colman, N. Silva (Morales 72') - Tévez (Bilbao 90'). Manager: Miguel Rondelli.

UTC: Zubczuk - Requena, Valoyes, Mondino, A. Gutiérrez - Aparicio (J. Pérez 87'), Á. Romero - C. Fernández (Ojeda 87'), J. Sánchez, Perlaza (K. Ruiz 90') - Quintero (Cantoro 90'). Manager: Carlos Ramacciotti.

Referee: Pablo López.

Yellow cards: A. Pérez 27', Collitto 69' - Valoyes 27', C. Fernández 40'.

The match was broadcasted on L1 Max. Extended highlights are available on YouTube (shorther highlights as well).

In the next round, UTC de Cajamarca will face Universidad César Vallejo at home, while Cusco FC will play away at Sport Huancayo.

Two consecutive defeats for Kamonyi FC

Kamonyi FC suffered two consecutive defeats in the previous week. The first one was rather expected, 3-0 away at Police FC in the second leg of the last 16 in the Peace Cup. In the first leg, in Kamonyi, Police FC had also won 3-0. The second leg was played mid-week, on Wednesday 24 January 2024, kicking-off at 3 pm local time (1 pm UTC) at Kigali Pele Stadium in the capital city of Kigali. Police FC, one of the teams fighting for the national title in Rwanda this year, had no problems and took the lead early, increasing their advantage soon after, so the score was 2-0 at half time. Second Division Kamonyi FC had a rough time defending and avoiding a much serious defeat, but they eventually received a third goal towards the end of the second half, so the final score was 3-0, and 6-0 on aggregate for Police FC, which advanced easily to the quarter-finals. Highlights are available on YouTube.

On Saturday, 27 January, however, Kamonyi FC received Tsinda Batsinde at home, at Ruyenzi Stadium, in the 13th round of the Second Division, Group A. Despite being favourites, at least on paper, given their better place in the classification, Kamonyi FC lost ground in the first half, when the visitors scored twice to have an unexpected 2-0 lead before the break. In the second half, Tsinda Batsinde remained in ten, because one of their players was sent off, but Kamonyi FC struggled to break through the opposite defence, and only succeeded to score at the end of the match, in stoppage time. Tsinda Batsinde therefore won 2-1 and are safely out of the relegation zone at half-season.

This week is dedicated to matches that had been postponed so far, and had to be rescheduled, so that all the teams share the same number of matches played at half-season. Kamonyi FC will therefore not play. The first round of the second half of the season is scheduled next week, and Kamonyi FC will face Intare FC, one of the strongest teams in their group, at Ruyenzi Stadium, most likely on Saturday, 10 February, kick-off at 3 pm local time.

Full results, table and fixtures:

 

Round 13 (27-28 January 2024)

 

City Boys – Intare 1-1

Kamonyi – Tsinda Batsinde 1-2

Nyanza – Addax 0-0

Unity – Gasabo United 1-1

Vision JN – Rutsiro 1-1

La Jeunesse – Aspor 5-0

Spring Hope Academy – UR Huye 1-1

 

Table

 

1	Rutsiro FC	12	10	2	0	21-4	32	Promotion play-offs
2	La Jeunesse	13	8	4	1	29-9	28	Promotion play-offs
3	Intare FC	11	7	2	2	20-8	23
4	Addax SC	12	6	3	3	18-9	21
5	Nyanza FC	12	5	5	2	13-6	20
6	Kamonyi FC	13	5	4	4	20-16	19
7	Gasabo United	12	4	4	4	11-10	16
8	Spring Hope	13	5	1	7	14-21	16
9	Tsinda Batsinde	13	4	2	7	9-16	14
10	UR Huye FC	13	3	3	7	14-22	12
11	City Boys FC	11	2	5	4	8-13	11
12	Vision JN	13	1	7	5	7-13	10
13	Aspor FC	13	2	3	8	7-23	9	Relegation play-out
14	Unity FC	13	0	5	8	10-30	5	Relegation play-out

 

Round 14 (10-11 February 2024)

 

Aspor – Spring Hope Academy

Kamonyi – Intare

UR Huye – La Jeunesse

Addax – Vision JN

Tsinda Batsinde – Nyanza

Gasabo United – Rutsiro

Unity – City Boys