1. FK Svidník relegated to the Fourth League, harshly defeated away at Námestovo

MŠK Námestovo - 1. FK Svidník 8-1 (5-0)

Kubica 1', Jurina 6', 10' penalty, Cicek 24', 59', 76', Otruba 31', 67' - Voitiuk 68'.

Saturday, 8 June 2024, 5 pm local time (3 pm UTC), MŠK Námestovo Stadium, Námestovo, Slovakia, 30th (last) round of the Slovak Third League - East Group (3. Liga - Východ).

MŠK Námestovo (in yellow and black) and 1. FK Svidník (in red) before the start of the game. Photo source: MŠK Námestovo Facebook page

It was all over for 1. FK Svidník even before this game, their previous home defeat, 5-3 to Rimavská Sobota, had sealed their fate, so there was no way out from the bottom of the table and relegation to the Fourth League, no matter what. However, they could have done a better job away at Námestovo in the last round of the Third League, after 9 years spent at this level, proving that they belong here and not to the Fourth League. Nevertheless, it was quite the contrary: 1. FK Svidník provided an appalling performance, one that should be quickly forgotten, if possible. It is also true that their management (or somebody) thought that they should give more playing time to some of the younger and less experienced players in the roster, which was also a cause of this harsh defeat. I doubt that these youngsters preferred to have a match in the Third League in their CV, in which their team lost 8-1.

Martin Jurina converted a penalty, and the score became 3-0 for MŠK Námestovo after less than 10 minutes. Photo source: MŠK Námestovo Facebook page

MŠK Námestovo did not have much to gain or lose either, they just respected themselves as a team and respected their audience, who came to see them playing well in their final game of the season. They started very convincingly and scored in their first action, which saw Lukáš Kubica shooting on target: 1-0 (1'). Then Martin Jurina scored twice, first from action (6') and then from a penalty given for an unnecessary and stupid handball in the box: 3-0 (10'). This was looking even more humiliating at that time, but the home side reduced their pace, and the next two goals came a little bit later, by means of Vladislav Cicek (24') and Matúš Otruba (31'), and the score at half time was only 5-0.

1. FK Svidník defense was in much trouble throughout the game. Photo source: MŠK Námestovo Facebook page

In the second half, it looked more and more like a friendly match, with some exceptions. The audience asked for more goals, and the home side pushed at times for more, and these goals came mainly after beautiful attacking combinations, which led to a sixth goal for Námestovo, scored by Vladislav Cicek (59') and then a seventh, by Matúš Otruba (67'). Immediately after the seventh goal scored by MŠK Námestovo, the visitors had their only good action of this game, on the right side, finished with a decent cross inside the box, where Oleksandr Voitiuk was well-placed to convert: 7-1 (68').

Oleksandr Voitiuk (first from the left) scored the consolation goal for 1. FK Svidník. Photo source: MŠK Námestovo Facebook page

The home side did not appreciate the fact that they were surprised by their opponents and replied, Vladislav Cicek scoring their eighth goal after a beautiful and effective action: 8-1 (76'). Luckily for 1. FK Svidník, they once again reduced the intensity of their charges in the final minutes, and also Svidník goalkeeper Stanislav Chukhra had a couple of saves which kept the score at that level - one more goal would have meant equalizing the record for highest scoring this season, already established in another Svidník match, their 9-1 defeat away at ŠK Odeva Lipany.

 MŠK Námestovo players celebrating one of their many goals. Photo source: MŠK Námestovo Facebook page

Námestovo: Kubica - Habiňák, Hrubjak (Medvecký 46'), Jaššo, Vorčák (Košarištan 46'), Fukas (Palider 46'), Bilonozhko (Barutik 69'), Otruba, Jurina, Kubica (Košut 69'), Cicek. Manager: Ivan Rusnák.

Svidník: Chukhra - Lukčo, Šimco, Ducár, Leško, Klučár, Oravec, Voitiuk, Hoponko (Bush 88'), Patkaň (Luščík 64'), Rogoš (Haluška 46'). Manager: Jakub Šoltés.

Referee: Tomáš Kolofík.

Yellow cards: Cicek 78' - Šimco 9', Lukčo 56', Voitiuk 65', Klučár 74'.

This was a happy end of the season for MŠK Námestovo, which finished in 9th place, a better position compared to the previous season, but  a very sad end of 1. FK Svidník, which are relegated to the Fourth League (East Group) after 9 years spent in the Third League. The club officials, as well as the town authorities, must analyze correctly what exactly happened, what were the causes of this very poor season. They probably know them very well. Last season, 1. FK Svidník finished mid-table and was a team that was able to win against anyone in the group. It was their best season in years. However, last summer, after that good season, changes were made at all levels in the club, starting with the president, the manager, and ending with the whole roster. The results are now visible, the team was relegated. Let's hope that things will go better this summer and the club will perform well in the Fourth League, and their true objective will be to come back to the Third League as soon as possible.

MŠK Tesla Stropkov won the Third League - East Group and were crowned champions, but they are ineligible for promotion, so the second classified Stará L'ubovňa Redfox FC are promoted to the Second League. The official documents released by the Slovak Football Federation on 14 June confirmed this and the fact that 1. FK Svidník are the only team relegated from the Third League - East Group.

Full results and final table:

 

Round 30 (8 June 2024)

 

MŠK Rimavská Sobota – FTC Fiľakovo 0-2

MFK Vranov nad Topl’ou – MŠK Novohrad Lučenec 5-2

MŠK Spišské Podhradie – Partizán Bardejov BŠK 3-1

MŠK Tesla Stropkov – Slávia TU Košice 1-0

TJ Tatran Oravské Veselé – Stará Ľubovňa Redfox FC 1-3

MŠK Námestovo – 1. FK Svidník 8-1

MFK Snina – TJ Baník Kalinovo 9-1

ŠK Odeva Lipany bye

 

                                                             Final table

 

1	MŠK Tesla Stropkov (C)	28	18	5	5	63-29	59	[1]
2	Stará Ľubovňa Redfox FC (P)	28	17	5	6	59-34	56	Promoted to 2. Liga
3	ŠK Odeva Lipany	28	16	3	9	56-33	51
4	MFK Snina	28	13	9	6	60-41	48
5	MFK Vranov nad Topl’ou	28	14	4	10	65-47	46
6	Slávia TU Košice	28	13	6	9	48-41	45
7	FTC Fiľakovo	28	12	8	8	38-36	44
8	MŠK Rimavská Sobota	28	11	6	11	47-42	39
9	MŠK Námestovo	28	10	5	13	48-53	35
10	MŠK Novohrad Lučenec	28	9	6	13	35-52	33
11	MŠK Spišské Podhradie	28	8	7	13	43-54	31
12	TJ Tatran Oravské Veselé	28	9	3	16	38-51	30	[2]
13	TJ Baník Kalinovo	28	9	3	16	43-62	30	[2]
14	Partizán Bardejov BŠK	28	6	6	16	38-61	24
15	1. FK Svidník (R)	28	5	4	19	38-83	19	Relegated to 4. Liga

 

C – Champions

P – Promoted

R – Relegated

 

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

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[1] MŠK Tesla Stropkov were ineligible for promotion.

[2] TJ Tatran Oravské Veselé ahead of TJ Baník Kalinovo in head-to-head matches: TJ Tatran Oravské Veselé 6 points, TJ Baník Kalinovo 0 points.

Former and current Al Ahed players score the goals and brought three points to Bourj FC

Al Ahed - Bourj FC 2-3 (1-1)

Khalil Khamis 20', Mahmoud Zbib 74' - Hassan Chaito "Moni" 15', Hilal El Helwe 68' penalty, Mohamad El Husseini 85'.

Sunday, 26 May 2024, 4 pm local time (1 pm UTC), Amin Abdelnour Stadium, Bhamdoun (Aley), Lebanon, 12th round of championship play-off, Lebanese Premier League.

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

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

For a number of years now, Bourj FC has never succeeded to get a win over Al Ahed. They did so against the other big Lebanese teams, they are the only ones who defeated Ansar this season, twice!, they sometimes had good results against Nejmeh, but never against Al Ahed. The time has come for this to change and for Bourj FC to get their first win over Al Ahed, in a match that sealed Al Ahed's fate this season - one in which they will no longer compete for the title they were defending. For Bourj FC, there is a slim chance to get to the fourth place, but this is not a real objective.

Both teams started the match without several important players, especially the foreigners were absent, for instance Tidiane Camara and Prosper Donkor were not even on the bench for Bourj FC, while Lee Erwin was absent for Al Ahed. The only foreigner in the field for Bourj FC, Houssem Louati, possibly played his last game for this team, as his transfer to Safa seems to be already completed. It is a pity that Bourj FC was unable to keep him, but I guess this is what happens when a player has an excellent season - he got offers from everywhere and it is very difficult to keep.

On the other hand, nobody expected the season to be so long. Most players and even staff had their contracts in force only until the end of May, so the last rounds in June and the final rounds of the Lebanese Cup will probably be played with Lebanese players only - the ones who have longer contracts. This will be the case for most teams in play-off, except perhaps for Ansar and Nejmeh, who are still racing for the title this year.

Karim Darwich (Al Ahed), with the ball, is closely watched by Mohamad El Husseini and Mohamad El Faour (Bourj FC captain). Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

The match started with Bourj FC missing a big opportunity. Ali Kassas overtook Hussein Dakik and remained one on one with the goalkeeper Mostafa Matar, but his shot went straight into the goalkeeper (2'). Al Ahed replied soon and missed a good opportunity themselves, but a header from the middle of the box went wide (5').

However, unlike in other matches, Al Ahed did not take control of the game, and allowed Bourj to develop their combinative play, which eventually paid off. Mohamad Zein Tahan crossed from the right, and Hassan Chaito "Moni" headed to the upper corner of the target: 0-1 (15').

Hassan Chaito "Moni" (#10) scored the first goal and is congratulated by his teammates Bilal Sabbagh (#8) and Ali Kassas (#20). Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

Bourj FC could have even increased their advantage in the following minutes, when Al Ahed defence looked unable to respond, but they failed, and the tables turned almost immediately. Ali Al Haj took a corner from the left, and Khalil Khamis headed from close range to equalize: 1-1 (20').

Khalil Khamis (centre) scored the equalizer for Al Ahed, giving them the opportunity to come back into the game. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

After a very eventful first 20 minutes of the game, the rest of the first half was rather boring. Both teams tried desperately to gain control of the midfield, but none succeeded to get the upper hand, resulting in a fierce battle for control and possession and very few goal chances. Bourj FC had some opportunities by means of "Moni", Houssem Louati and Hilal El Helwe, but Mostafa Matar saved and blocked everything.

Mostafa Matar (Al Ahed goalkeeper), surrounded by defenders, had plenty of saves. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

In the second half, things did not change and Bourj FC began to hope in a good result. At times, Al Ahed took control of the midfield and initiated offensive charges, but these were far from dangerous, and Bourj FC confidence grew minute after minute, especially because Al Ahed showed considerable and unexpected weaknesses in all departments.

Moreover, fresh blood was sent in the field, as Ali Markabawi and Mohamad El Hayek went in (60'). Just a few minutes later, they created the action which gave Bourj FC the lead again: Mohamad El Hayek launched Ali Markabawi on the left, Mostafa Matar was a little late and made contact with Ali Markabawi, resulting in an obvious penalty for Bourj FC (67'). Hilal El Helwe converted to give Bourj the lead once again: 1-2 (68').

Hilal El Helwe (right, #99) scored from a penalty to give Bourj the lead once again. Photo source: Lebanese FA Facebook page

Bourj FC thought again that their lead was safe, but they could not be more wrong about this. Just a few minutes later, Zein Farran had an individual action on the right, getting into Bourj FC box, he assisted Karim Darwich, whose shot was saved by Hassan Hazimeh, but the ball got to Mahmoud Zbib, who managed to score from a difficult angle: 2-2 (74').

Mahmoud Zbib (left) scored the equalizer for Al Ahed. Photo source: Al Ahed FC Facebook page

The final minutes of the match were very disputed, each team trying to force the winning goal. Chances arrived more often, but the defenders and goalkeepers did their job properly. Until they didn't. A long ball from the Bourj FC own half was meant for Mohamad Zein Tahan, interestingly sneaked into Bourj FC attack, and he was able to overrun Khalil Khamis, who had no other choice that to put him down at the edge of the box (80'). Unfortunately, this also led to some creepy moments, with both players injured on the ground. Khalil Khamis was in a more critical state, but he eventually got up, only to be sent off by the referee (84').

Houssem Louati took the free kick, the ball deflected from the wall to Mohamad El Husseini, in the middle of the box, and the defender had the necessary cold blood to score and to bring the win to Bourj FC: 2-3 (85').

Bourj FC players and staff celebrating with the supporters. Photo source: Bourj FC Facebook page

In the last minutes, Bourj FC struggled to maintain possession, as far away as possible from their own box. Al Ahed, in ten, were not capable to come back this time and to equalize for a third time, losing for the first time in history to Bourj FC in an official match.

It is interesting to note that all three goalscorers for Bourj FC, Hassan Chaito "Moni", Hilal El Helwe, and Mohamad El Husseini are either former or current players of Al Ahed. Moni and Hilal El Helwe played for Al Ahed in the past, while Mohamad El Husseini, who scored the winning goal for Bourj FC, is actually under contract with Al Ahed and plays for Bourj FC on loan.

Al Ahed: Mostafa Matar - Nour Mansour, Khalil Khamis, Hussein Zein (Mahmoud Zbib 58'), Hussein Dakik - Ali Al Haj (Hassan Farhat 84'), Mohamad Haidar (Karim Fadel 90'+2'), Hassan Srour, Walid Shour (Ali Hadid 58') - Mohamad Al Marmour (Zein Farran 46'), Karim Darwich. Manager: Raafat Mohammad.

Bourj: Hassan Hazimeh - Mohamad Zein Tahan, Khodor Hallak, Mohamad El Husseini, Shadi Skaf - Mohamad Al Faour (Mohamad El Hayek 60'), Bilal Sabbagh (Hussein Ibrahim 87'), Hassan Chaito "Moni" (Youssef Anbar 75'), Houssem Louati - Ali Kassas (Ali Markabawi 60'), Hilal El Helwe (Ali Chaito 75'). Manager: Malek Hassoun.

Referee: Mohamad Haddad.

Yellow cards: Mohamad Al Faour 22', Ali Markabawi 70', Khodor Hallak 75'.

Red card: Khalil Khamis 84'.

Bourj FC players and staff celebrating after the match. Photo source: Bourj FC Facebook page

The battle for the title remains exclusively between Ansar and Nejmeh, while Al Ahed will probably remain in third place. Bourj, in fifth, got a little bit closer to Safa, in fourth place. The next round will be played only on 16 June, after the break caused by the games of the national teams. There are three rounds to go, and the competition will probably end in the last days of June. However, there are also matches to be played in the Lebanese Cup, which will probably be played in July, making this season the longest in history.

Luckily for the teams in play-out, they were able to finish the season in time. The fight to avoid relegation took to the last round, after which AC Tripoli and Al Ahly Nabatieh were eventually relegated, while Hikma / Sagesse and Shabab Al Ghazieh remained in the top tier.

Full results, table and fixtures in the play-off:

 

Round 12 (26 May 2024)

 

Al Ahed – Bourj 2-3

Ansar – Racing 2-0

Safa – Nejmeh 0-2

 

                                Table

 

1	Ansar	12	9	2	1	47-21	39
2	Nejmeh	12	7	2	3	39-18	37
3	Al Ahed	12	4	4	4	47-19	30
4	Safa	12	4	4	4	33-31	25	(+)
5	Bourj	12	2	4	6	24-28	21	(+)
6	Racing	12	0	4	8	26-42	12	(+)

 

(+) Points have been rounded up.

 

Round 13 (16 June 2024)

 

Nejmeh – Racing

Ansar – Bourj

Safa – Al Ahed