The Beirut derby is the name given in football to any match between cross-city rivals Ansar and Nejmeh. It is considered the biggest club football game in Lebanon. The derby has historically been the most anticipated game in Lebanon: both located in Beirut, Nejmeh and Ansar have shared the majority of domestic titles. Indeed Ansar holds 13 league titles, the most in the country, and Nejmeh have won eight, the second most. Ansar leads the head-to-head results in competitive matches with 34 wins to Nejmeh's 31; while the two teams are tied in league wins, Ansar leads in cup and Super Cup wins, and Nejmeh leads in Elite Cup wins.
History
Origins of the clubs
and Ansar were both born in the post-World War II period. Nejmeh, Arabic for "Star", were founded in 1945 in Beirut, shortly after the independence of Lebanon. Their city rivals Ansar, Arabic for "The Supporters", were actually established in 1951 outside Beirut because the Lebanese capital already had one sports club per 10,000 inhabitants, as designated by the authorities, meaning the club set up in Mount Lebanon to the south of the city. By 1965, as Beirut’s population grew, they switched bases and a rivalry between the Lebanese capital’s Burgundy of Nejmeh and Green of Ansar was born.
First match
The Beirut Municipal Stadium played host to the inaugural derby game between Nejmeh and Ansar on 8 December 1968, during the first leg of the 1968–69 season. The match was won by Nejmeh 2–1. 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 the winning goal for Nejmeh in the 80th minute. The game was led by the referee Krikor Chanian.
1997–98 season
The Beirut sides met at the Municipal Stadium in Beirut in the 1997–98 Lebanese Premier League season with Ansar two points ahead of their rivals at the top of the table. 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. Mohamed Al Saqsouq gave Ansar an early advantage after just five minutes but Moussa Hojeij equalised for Nejmeh with a thunderous drive, before The Greens restored their lead via a Malek Hassoun free-kick. Hojeij tried to repeat the trick, but his long-range effort this time rebounded off the bar for Wael Nazha to tap in as the first half ended 2–2. Ansar dominated the second half and added two more goals through Mohammed Mosalmani and Abdelfattah Chehab to win 4–2 and extend their lead to five points. They would go on to win their ninth consecutive league title that season.
Statistics
Records
Biggest wins
Goalscoring
Top goalscorers
Players in bold are still active for Ansar or Nejmeh.
Two players have been able to score a hat trick: Errol McFarlane and Salah Rushdy.
Honours
The rivalry reflected in Beirut derby matches comes about as Ansar and Nejmeh are the most successful football clubs in Lebanon. As seen below, Ansar leads Nejmeh 36–31 in terms of official overall trophies.
Moussa Hojeij
Peter Prosper
El Hadji Malick Tall