Official Cup

St Johns Wood
Spectators: 208 (Terracing: 156, Seating: 48, VIP seats: 4) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Wayne Rooney started the match with the kick off. 3 minutes into the game, Abderrahman Karoui was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Symba's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Atletico Beirut the free kick. In the 4th match minute, Symba was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Abderrahman Karoui to maneuver through the defense. The supporters of Symba booed when Atletico Beirut was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 8 match minutes in a wonderful position. Safa Ajram didn't get a good kick on the ball. Atletico Beirut's Khalil Hatim played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Chedli Habib Benfrej in the 12th minute of play. 18 minutes into the game, Chedli Habib Benfrej recieved a splendid long ball, split the defenders, and gently placed the ball to the left of Khalil Hatim. Chedli Habib Benfrej showed that you don't have to tear a hole in the net to score, 1-1. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Mohamed Miaâdi during the 22nd minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. A collision led to Symba getting a freekick after 22 minutes play. Mohamed Miaâdi hit a great ball. Tarak Ayari could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 29th minute of the match, but Khalil Hatim made a huge save. 30 minutes into the match, Wayne Rooney had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Habib Zaalani. Symba's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Wayne Rooney was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-2. Jabbar Abdul Majid recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 38th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Khalil Hatim took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Chedli Habib Benfrej, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Khalil Hatim showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Chedli Habib Benfrej, who was totally free with the ball in the 43rd minute. Symba's Chedli Habib Benfrej got a good chance for a goal in the 46th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Luck had favoured the away team in the first, and they walked off with a 1-2 lead.

The wind increased when Chedli Habib Benfrej made the kick off in the second half. Khalil Hatim showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from David Khcharem in the 56th minute of the match. 57 minutes into the game, Symba's Chedli Habib Benfrej nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Khalil Hatim made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-2. Tarak Ayari sent away a hard shot on goal in the 72nd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Khalil Hatim took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Rashid Ben Yahia, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Jabbar Abdul Majid hit a great freekick 77 minutes into the match. Atletico Beirut's Khalil Hatim played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Chedli Habib Benfrej in the 78th minute of play. Atletico Beirut's Khalil Hatim played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Chedli Habib Benfrej in the 81st minute of play. If Samir Faraj had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 83rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. After having played for 92 minutes, Rashid Ben Yahia managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Symba's supporters crossed their fingers, but Rashid Ben Yahia was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. 94 minutes into the game, Chedli Habib Benfrej cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 3-2. Khalil Hatim was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. When the referee ended the match the Symba players were able to celebrate. They had won a fair victory and recieved the ovations of their fans.