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Late Salameh strike keeps Safa on title track

BEIRUT: Two-time defending champions Safa moved to within a point of league leaders Nejmeh after a 2-1 win over Ansar Monday in matchday 18 of the Lebanese Football League.

Safa appeared to have squandered another pair of valuable points when Eddy Prince’s 81st minute strike canceled out Hamzeh Salameh’s opener, but the Safa forward was on target again two minutes from time to hand the holders a crucial win in one of the most fiercely contested seasons in recent memory.

The win moves Safa to second place in the standings on 35 points, one behind front-runners Nejmeh, while third-placed Racing (34) remain a point ahead of Ahed.

In a one-sided first half, Ansar were in danger of being entirely blown away as Hussein Sayed’s calamitous error gifted Salameh the easiest of goals after 10 minutes.

All signs pointed to Safa extending their lead shortly thereafter as first; Hasan Hazimeh cracked the post on 26 minutes before Mahmoud Kojok could only find the side netting with his effort 13 minutes later.

Ansar finally engineered an opportunity in the opening period when Brazilian Ramos’ free kick glanced Ziad al-Samad’s post.

Safa’s wastefulness looked to have cost them all three points after Prince’s 81st minute slalom run was capped by a cool finish from the African forward.

But in the dying stages, Salameh managed to rescue Safa and keep their title bid alive, sweeping home from Tamer Hajj Mohammad’s pinpoint center.

Source: The Daily Star

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Lebanese youngster signs for Manchester City Academy

BEIRUT: Manchester City have signed Abdel-Ghani Ramadan to their famed youth development program the Academy, making the youngster the first Lebanese player to represent a Premier League club, local newspaper Al-Liwaa reported.

The 17-year-old from the coastal town of Barja immigrated to Belgium at a young age before his football talents saw him sign for Greater Manchester side Ashton United.

It was not long before Ramadan’s promising performances for Ashton caught the attention of Manchester City scouts, whose recommendations resulted in him joining the 2012 Premier League champions.

In an interview with Al-Liwaa, Ramadan expressed his delight at signing for a side of City’s caliber while maintaining that he one day hoped to forge a career in the European and international arena.

Ramadan added “it was a dream come true” to join City, attributing his move to hard work and dedication, which he believes could lead to a future role with the senior side.

The Barja native remains eligible to represent the Lebanese national team, an opportunity he relishes and will address once he has finished his studies in England.

The prospect of Ramadan featuring for Lebanon is an enticing one, and he would join a growing contingent of foreign-based players currently in Guissepe Giannini’s squad.

Source: The Daily Star

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Nejmeh remain top of the league despite drawing 1-1 with rivals Ahed

BEIRUT: Nejmeh remained at the top of the standings despite their 1-1 draw against fellow title rivals Ahed Sunday during round 18 of the Lebanese Football league at Cite Sportive Sunday.

Prior to the match, Nejmeh had registered seven consecutive victories under German head coach Theo Bucker to move from fourth place at the end of the first leg to first, with five rounds remaining.

Ahed’s game was one of a four-match swing that will potentially decide the winners of the league, as Nejmeh will face Safa, Ansar and Racing in the final three rounds.

Veteran midfielder Abbas Atwi’s penalty gave the home side the lead on 27 minutes after Ahed defender Hussein Ayoub handled inside the area. Ahed equalized through Ali al-Atat in the 79th minute, before Nejmeh were reduced to 10 men when Syrian defender Abdel-Nasr Hasan was shown red for bringing Tarek al-Ali down four minutes from the end.

Nejmeh are now first with 36 points, three points ahead of Racing, who squandered two vital points after being held to a 1-1 draw against Shabab Al-Sahel.

Two-time defending champions Safa have the chance to move one point behind the leaders when they face sixth-placed Ansar Monday.

In other results, Salam Zgharta and Mabarra played out a 1-1 draw, with both teams fighting to distance themselves from the relegation zone.

They are still in 10th and 11th place, respectively.

Tripoli also registered a timely victory against neighbors Ijtimaai 2-0 to remain in mid-table.

Source: The Daily Star

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Riyadi set sights on reclaiming top spot

BEIRUT: The whole league will be watching Friday, when Riyadi host Mouttahed in a clash that could potentially decide the top five in the standings during the penultimate round of the regular season of the Lebanese Basketball League.

With just two rounds to play, each side have the chance to deliver a hammer blow to their opponents in a classic six-pointer, with the two able to pick up a valuable three points for themselves as well as depriving their rivals. Mathematically, if Riyadi win, they will likely secure top spot with only one game left against Champville, while if Mouttahed win by more than five points, Riyadi will drop back to fourth and Sagesse will move into first place with Amchit in second.

Byblos, who lie in fifth place, still have the chance to move to fourth if Mouttahed lose.

“It’s the game of the season, I suppose,” Mouttahed head coach Joe Moujaes said. “The whole league will be waiting for the match to know their positions and whom they will face in the playoffs. For us, it’s as important because it could mean ending in third place or dropping back to fourth or even fifth.

The only match between the two sides this season ended in overtime, after Riyadi edged the contest 70-66 at Tripoli on Feb. 28.

Both teams will have great matchups in several positions, most notably in the paint, with Loren Woods and Ismael Ahmad acting as Riyadi’s fulcrum, while Mouttahed’s Hasan Whiteside and Charles Tabet have a big say in their team’s tempo.

But the big concern for the Tripoli side has been their outside game, having only scored 65 3-pointers this season, while Riyadi have registered 113 triples.

“[The outside game] has definitely had a negative impact on our game, but we are trying to find the necessary adjustments to cover for that, including some changes in positions to give Bassel Bawji more spacing on the court to score,” Moujaes said.

Mouttahed were dealt a bitter loss last week against Champville 64-68 at Dik al-Mehdi, following a dispirited performance. Since then, a few internal problems in the squad have come to the fore, which Moujaes hasn’t hidden.

“As any team going into a decisive phase of the season, we have had a few problems that appeared on the court. But we have had a week to tackle all these issues ahead of the pivotal clash against Riyadi,” the 39-year-old explained.

Riyadi will head into the match knowing a win would give them the upper hand to secure top place on head-to-head advantage over current leaders Sagesse and Amchit, who now hold 13 wins and four losses.

“It’s a big match for us. It determines first place, so we have to give it our best and take advantage of our home court to grab the win,” Riyadi shooting guard Amir Saoud said.

Source: The Daily Star

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Amchit snap Homenetmen winning streak

BEIRUT: Homenetmen’s six game winning streak reached a resounding end Thursday after they were dealt a humiliating 133-91 loss at the hands of Amchit in round 16 of the Lebanese Basketball League, as the Jbeil side moved level top with Riyadi and Sagesse at 12-4.

Along with Mouttahed, Amchit were the only team whom the Armenian side have failed to beat this season.

The visitors started brightly to lead 17-13, thanks to American center Terrence Leather, who scored 15 points alone in the first quarter. Amchit eventually claimed the lead at the end of the first 25-24, with Joey Accaoui excelling from behind the arc.

The 176-cm point guard played as a starter following the injury of Karl Sarkis who was sidelined for the game. And Accaoui made the most of his chance sparking his side to a 38-18 in the second with 5-of-7 from the 3-point line in the first half, as Amchit led 63-42 at halftime.

The Jbeil side continued in the third from where they left in the second, as their gap was extended to nearly 30 points in the period. From then on the game was already decided as Amchit eventually wrapped up a lopsided 133-91 victory.

Accaoui starred with 25 points including 6-of-9 3-pointers, while Jeremiah Massey added 26 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Ali Traore and Fadi al-Khatib both had 22 points with nine rebounds for the former.

Leather top scored for Homenetmen with a game-high 36 points and 10 rebounds, while his compatriot Dion Dixon added 29 points and Hayk Gyokchyan notched 13 points.

Meanwhile, Mouttahed will hope to move level with the leading trio Riyadi, Sagesse and Amchit, when they visit eighth-placed Champville at Dik al-Mehdi Friday during round 16 of the Lebanese Basketball League.

The Tripoli side were among a four-way tie for top spot after the end of round 15 at 11-4, and they will look to earn a timely boost ahead of next week’s important encounter with Riyadi at Manara.

The battle for pole position remains open, with all the games being unpredictable to the extent that Riyadi only narrowly defeated Hoops 78-72 Wednesday in the last two minutes.

Meanwhile, Champville will look to keep their hopes alive of leapfrogging Tadamon into seventh place, as both teams are level at 5-10. Tadamon will face Bejjeh Saturday at Ghazir.

Mouttahed defeated Champville in the first leg 94-71. They are also heading to the match on the back of two successive victories against Amchit and Hoops. Meanwhile, Champville have been far from impressive against the top four teams, managing only one win, a 94-93 overtime victory over Sagesse in the first leg. The 2012-2013 champions have failed to replicate the form of their title-winning side.

Source: The Daily Star

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Out-of-sorts Riyadi rally to beat Hoops

BEIRUT: Riyadi survived a scare to beat bottom-side Hoops 78-72 and reclaim top spot from archrivals Sagesse during round 16 of the Lebanese Basketball League at Murr Stadium Wednesday.

Surprisingly, Hoops led for large parts of the game as they made the most of the absence of Ismail Ahmad. The veteran Egyptian was rested for the day with new addition American Rodney Carney set to make his debut Wednesday. However, Carney, a former NBA player, suffered a muscle strain and could not feature.

Though a win would have been enough for Riyadi to regain first place, the yellow side seemed powerless against a team who hadn’t won since mid-February, and were only 1-14.

Hoops impressed with their fast-paced game, earning a 34-28 lead with two minutes left in the second, before Slobodan Subotic’s side rallied to a 35-34 halftime advantage.

Riyadi remained rudderless without talisman Ahmad, as Hoops continued to attack with impressive fighting spirit and teamwork as they led 47-38 with an upset on the cards.

However, Riyadi regrouped, with Roy Samaha doing fine work under the basket, while Ali Haidar and Amir Saoud were active from beyond the arc.

After tying the score at 52 before the fourth, Riyadi waited until the last two minutes to ensure their hard-fought victory 78-72.

With their win, Riyadi are now first at 12-4 ahead of Sagesse in second on head-to-head advantage. Meanwhile, Hoops are still rooted to the bottom at 1-15.

Haidar led the scoring for Riyadi with 17 points and five rebounds, while Saoud sunk 15 points coming off the bench. Jean Abdelnour had 13 points and 10 rebounds while Loren Woods and Samaha added 10 points each.

American point guard Brandon Johnson top scored for Hoops with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Hussein Tawbe added 14 points and seven rebounds. Palestinian center Sani Sakakini added 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Elsewhere, Homenetmen will look to extend their impressive winning streak to seven when they visit Amchit at Jbeil Thursday.

The Armenian side have been unstoppable in the second leg, having recorded six consecutive victories, to see them move from eighth place to sixth at 8-7.

Meanwhile, Amchit, who hold the longest winning streak in the league this season at eight, have been in a slump recently, after two losses on the bounce against Mouttahed and Riyadi to surrender first place. They are still in the race for first place as a win would move them into a three-way tie with Riyadi and Sagesse.

The Daily Star

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Safa into AFC second round after fourth successive win

BEIRUT: Ali Kirki’s 73rd-minute strike sent Safa through to the AFC Cup knockout stages after the Beirut club overcame Al-Suwaiq 1-0 at Cite Sportive in Beirut Wednesday.

The two-time defending Lebanese league champions improved to 12 points at the top of Group A and maintained their perfect record with four wins from as many matches.

Jordanian side That Ras made it a two-horse race for top spot in the group Wednesday, trouncing Tajikistan’s Ravshan 5-1 to remain in second place on nine points, six points above Al-Suwaiq and a further three ahead of Wednesday’s opponents.

Safa made light of their threadbare squad, including the suspended pair of Constantin Toba and Rony Azar, who joined the injured Ali Saade and Ali Nassereddine on the sidelines.

They managed to keep their opponents at bay for most of an uneventful first half, with only Saad al-Mazrouki testing Safa’s goalkeeper Ziad al-Samad, who saved well from the attacker’s 39th-minute strike.

Safa responded shortly afterward through Hamzah Salameh, whose attempt brushed against the roof of the net to signal the end of the opening period.

The guests were more adventurous after the restart, venturing forward in search of the opening goal, but Safa maintained their shape and occasionally threatened on the break.

Samad was called into action once again early in the second half, thwarting Mohammad al-Ghassani after his strike looked destined for the bottom corner.

The warning only strengthened Safa’s resolve, as the hosts regained their dominance in midfield.

And they finally broke the deadlock 17 minutes from time, Kirki meeting Joseph Habbouch’s fizzed-in free kick with a thumping header that arrowed into the top corner.

Safa face second-placed That Ras next Tuesday with a draw or better guaranteeing them first place in Group A.

Meanwhile, Nejmeh kept their qualification hopes alive with a valuable 0-0 draw at Fanja Tuesday.

Theo Bucker’s side are in second place in Group B on five points, level with Fanja but ahead courtesy of the head-to-head rule.

They next face group leaders (9) Al-Kuwait next Wednesday.

The Daily Star

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Sagesse down Byblos to reclaim top spot

BEIRUT: American center Chris Daniels starred with 28 points and 12 rebounds as Sagesse clinched a valuable 81-75 victory against fifth-placed Byblos at Ghazir Sunday in the opening match of round 16 in the Lebanese Basketball League. Sagesse moved provisionally to first place with 12-4, one win ahead of Riyadi, Mouttahed and Amchit – the three teams have a game in hand.

The green side played their first match at home since their heartbreaking defeat against Homenetmen last week, and their start wasn’t a positive indicator as they trailed 22-15 early in the second.

The Jbeil side controlled the boards through Mike Fraser, who was as usual dominant in the paint, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds.

But Sagesse kept themselves in contention at 32-32 at the interval, thanks to Daniels and Rodrigue Akl, who scored a 2-point basket at the buzzer.

Both teams continued to exchange the lead, but no one could control the tempo; while Youngblood was instrumental for Nenad Vucinic’s side, Daniels was demonstrating his skills under the basket.

With Sagesse ahead 54-53 into the fourth, Youngblood struck from distance to give the visitors a 61-57 lead with seven minutes to go. But Daniels had other ideas, as he dominated inside showing great footwork. With five minutes to go, the score was tied at 61 all.

Akl, who has been in a rich vein of form this season, was on the verge of another triple-double, and his 3-pointer helped his cause, giving his side a one-point lead.

Moments later, American forward Charles Thomas nailed a crucial 3-pointer to extend the hosts’ lead to six, before they eventually wrapped up the game 81-75.

The loss dealt a blow to Byblos’ chances to compete for one of the first four places, as they will possibly trail by two games at the end of this round with two game to go before the playoffs. They sit now in fifth place with 10-6.

Alongside Daniels, Akl was one assist shy from recording his second triple-double as he finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Thomas added 15 points, while Rustom added nine. Julian Khazzouh had six points and seven rebounds.

For Byblos, Youngblood led the scoring with 24 points and five assists, Fraser posted 13 points and 16 rebounds while Kanaan netted 15 points.

Both teams shot below 30 percent from the 3-point line.

Elsewhere, Homenetmen extended their unbeaten run to six games after routing Tadamon Zouk 92-60 to secure sixth place Saturday at Mezher. The Armenian side also avenged their first leg loss of 78-75.

Homenetmen secured their playoffs spot, as they look to build on a historic appearance thus far, having recorded eight wins from 15 games.

They are now three games ahead of Tadamon in seventh and Champville in eighth.

Homenetment’s American duo impressed once again as Terrence Leather netted 32 points and 8 rebounds, and Dion Dixon added 31 points, six rebounds and six assists. Hayk Gyokchyan also added 16 points and five rebounds.

For Tadamon, who produced one of their worst performances this season, American Hugh Robertson led the scoring with 18 points and Nadim Souaid added 13. American Jarrid Famous posted 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mouttahed joined Saturday a four-way tie at the summit, after cruising past bottom side Hoops 85-72. Mouttahed are tied with Riyadi, Sagesse and Amchit at 11-4, as the battle for first place remains open.

American center Hassan Whiteside continued his dominant performance after registering 32 points and 23 rebounds, while his compatriot Corey Williams added 19 points and nine assists.

Palestinian center Sani Sakakini was the best player for Hoops with 26 points and 21 rebounds, and American point guard Brandon Johnson added 17 points and five assists.

Hoops remain in last place at 1-14.

(The Daily Star)

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