Beirut derby

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Beirut derby
Uniforms
Team kits – Ansar in green, Nejmeh in burgundy
Other namesLebanese Clásico
LocationBeirut, Lebanon
TeamsAnsar
Nejmeh
First meetingNejmeh 2–0 Ansar
Lebanese FA Cup
(21 June 1964)
Latest meetingAnsar 2–0 Nejmeh
Lebanese FA Cup
(21 April 2024)
StadiumsVarious (neutral)[a]
Statistics
Meetings totalLeague matches: 74
Cup matches: 38
Total matches: 112
Most winsLeague matches: Ansar (24)
Cup matches: Ansar (16)
Total matches: Ansar (40)
Top scorerElhadji Malick Tall (16)
Largest victoryNejmeh 4–0 Ansar
Lebanese Premier League
(1970)
Ansar 4–0 Nejmeh
Lebanese FA Cup
(24 April 2002)
Nejmeh 6–2 Ansar
Lebanese Elite Cup
(30 September 2004)
Nejmeh 1–5 Ansar
Lebanese Premier League
(2 October 2017)
Nejmeh 1–5 Ansar
Lebanese Premier League
(8 December 2023)

The Beirut derby (Arabic: ديربي بيروت) is the name given in football to any match between cross-city rivals Ansar and Nejmeh.

The derby has historically been the most anticipated game in Lebanon: both located in Beirut, Nejmeh and Ansar have shared the majority of Lebanese Premier League titles. Ansar holds 14 league titles, the most in the country, and Nejmeh have won eight. Ansar leads the head-to-head results in competitive matches with 40 wins to Nejmeh's 36.

History[edit]

Nejmeh and Ansar were both formed in the post-World War II period.[1] Nejmeh, Arabic for "Star", were founded in 1945 in Beirut, shortly after the independence of Lebanon.[1] Ansar, Arabic for "the supporters", were established in 1951 outside Beirut, because the Lebanese capital already had one sports club per 10,000 inhabitants, as designated by the authorities; thus, the club set up in Mount Lebanon to the south of the city.[1] In 1965, as Beirut’s population grew, they switched bases to the capital, establishing a rivalry between the burgundy of Nejmeh and the green of Ansar.[1]

The Beirut Municipal Stadium played host to the inaugural Lebanese Premier League derby game between Nejmeh and Ansar on 8 December 1968, during the first leg of the 1968–69 season.[2] The match was won by Nejmeh 2–1.[1][2] Saadeddine Berjawi scored the derby's first goal in the 10th minute for Nejmeh, with Ansar's Abdullah Tabash drawing the score in the 23rd minute. Ali Safa scored the winning goal for Nejmeh in the 80th minute.[2][3] The game was led by the referee Krikor Tchinian.[4]

In the 1997–98 season, the Beirut Municipal Stadium hosted an important derby, with Ansar two points ahead of Nejmeh at the top of the league table.[1] A crowd of 22,000 made their way to the stadium from the early hours of the morning and thousands more gathered outside after tickets were sold out.[1] Ansar won the encounter 4–2, and went on to win their ninth consecutive league title.[1]

Ansar fans at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium during a Beirut derby in 2018

On 24 April 2021, the Beirut derby was once again decisive for the fate of the title, as both sides were leading the table, with Ansar having a two-point advantage over Nejmeh.[5][6] The game, which was played at the Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh,[5] saw Ansar win 2–1 and win the title, in a match that saw nine yellow cards being issued.[7] The two teams had already played each other in the last matchday of the season three times in decisive title-deciding games, in 2005, 2006, and 2008, all ending in draws.[8] Ansar won their first league title since 2007, and their 14th overall, a domestic record.[9] Over 15,000 Ansar fans gathered in front of the Beirut Municipal Stadium to celebrate their team's victory, despite there being preventive measures in place to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

Statistics[edit]

As of match played 21 April 2024[3]
Competition Matches Wins Draws Goals
ANS NEJ ANS NEJ
Lebanese Premier League 74 24 23 27 81 75
Lebanese FA Cup 17 10 6 1 29 20
Lebanese Elite Cup 17 4 7 6 20 25
Lebanese Super Cup 4 2 0 2 8 5
Total 112 40 36 36 138 125

Records[edit]

Biggest wins[edit]

4 Nejmeh 4–0 Ansar 22 March 1970 Lebanese Premier League
Ansar 4–0 Nejmeh 24 April 2002 Lebanese FA Cup
Nejmeh 6–2 Ansar 30 September 2004 Lebanese Elite Cup
Nejmeh 1–5 Ansar 2 October 2017 Lebanese Premier League
Nejmeh 1–5 Ansar 8 December 2023 Lebanese Premier League

Goalscoring[edit]

Top goalscorers[edit]

  • Players in bold are still active for Ansar or Nejmeh.[3]
Player Club League FA Cup Elite Cup Super Cup Total
Senegal Elhadji Malick Tall Ansar 11 3 2 0 16
Lebanon Moussa Hojeij Nejmeh 3 2 3 2 10
Lebanon Khaled Takaji Nejmeh / Ansar 7 0 1 1 9
Lebanon Ali Nasseredine Nejmeh / Ansar 6 1 1 0 8
Trinidad and Tobago Peter Prosper Ansar 3 2 2 0 7
Lebanon Fadi Alloush Ansar 5 1 0 0 6
Lebanon Mohamad Ghaddar Nejmeh 4 1 1 0 6
Lebanon Fadi Ghosn Ansar 3 3 0 0 6
Trinidad and Tobago Errol McFarlane Nejmeh 3 0 3 0 6
Lebanon Abbas Ahmad Atwi Nejmeh 5 0 0 0 5
Lebanon Akram Moghrabi Nejmeh 3 1 1 0 5

Consecutive goalscoring[edit]

  • Players in bold are still active for Ansar or Nejmeh.
Player Club Consecutive matches Total goals in the run
Senegal Elhadji Malick Tall Ansar 5 9
Lebanon Khaled Takaji Nejmeh 4 4
Lebanon Jamal Daher Ansar 3 4
Lebanon Fadi Ghosson Ansar 3 3

Most hauls (4 goals)[edit]

Most hat-tricks[edit]

Honours[edit]

The rivalry reflected in Beirut derby matches comes about as Ansar and Nejmeh are the most successful football clubs in Lebanon. Ansar leads Nejmeh 39 to 35 in terms of official overall trophies.

Ansar Competition Nejmeh
14 Lebanese Premier League 8
15 Lebanese FA Cup 8
2 Lebanese Federation Cup 0
6 Lebanese Super Cup 7
2 Lebanese Elite Cup (defunct) 12
39 Aggregate 35

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Various stadiums across Lebanon have hosted the Beirut derby, namely the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Tripoli Municipal Stadium, and Saida Municipal Stadium, among others.

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beirut derby.
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Great Asian Derbies – Al Ansar SC vs Nejmeh SC (Beirut)". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "ديربي لبنان.. ملحمة كروية ممزوجة بالعنف". كووورة. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Arab-Sport.net | (6 February 2018). "عرس الديربي | إحصاءات وارقام تاريخية بعيون عرب سبورت". عرب سبورتس. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  4. ^ "أرقام تاريخية قبل كلاسيكو الكرة اللبنانية". كووورة. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b "رسميا.. تحديد موعد ديربي الحسم للدوري اللبناني". كووورة. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  6. ^ "ديربي حاسم بين النجمة والأنصار على لقب الدوري اللبناني". كووورة. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Match Report of Al Ansar SC vs Nejmeh SC". globalsportsarchive.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  8. ^ "بالأرقام.. التعادل ضيف دائم في مواجهات الحسم بين الأنصار والنجمة". كووورة. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  9. ^ "قرارات جاسبرت وتألق أسعد وراء ملحمة الأنصار". كووورة. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  10. ^ "بالصور.. احتفالات ضخمة لجماهير الأنصار على ملعب بيروت البلدي". كووورة. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
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