A goal from fresh substitute Malek Hassoun, 5 minutes from the final whistle, ended the splendid FA Cup run of Safa, and shot Al-Ansar to yet another FA Cup final, ultimate (2-1) winners in a pulstating semi-finals tie. 

After only 12 minutes of being called into action, Malek Hassoun's stupendous cross-cum-shot from just inside the 18-yard box found the top left corner of the goal, way beyond Safa's hesitant keeper Bilal Hashem, to seal a dramatic win for his club Al-Ansar, quite in a commanding mood throughout the 90 minutes. 

Al-Ansar, it must be mentioned, were the most inspired, committed and spirited side of this match: They outclassed their opponents of the day with sheer imagination in midfield, a global superiority as a team, and should they front runners have capitalized on many clear-cut chances, the final result would've been an emphatic one. 

The ultimate winners went ahead at the stroke of half-time, thanks to their opportunist striker Peter Prospar who headed home a fabulous ball following an accurate pin-point cross from midfield schemer Leith Hussein. 

This was a well-deserved reward for Al-Ansar who opted for their traditional 4/3/3 scheme of play, while Safa adhered to their classic 4/4/2 style, a cautious one in fact, but the skillful Al-Ansar trio of midfielders, notably Iraq international Leith Hussein and skipper Jamal Taha were simply in devastating fashion. 

Throughout the first half, Al-Ansar forced their grip over their counterparts in every department of the game, rarely putting a foot wrong. The only real chance for Safa came in the 12th minute, when Ali Wassef (not a first-team choice, deputizing Nabih al-Jurdi who's still injured) lashed in a stupendous 25-yard shot, bringing the best out of Al-Ansar's keeper Wissam Kanj who brilliantly saved the long-range effort. 

From then on, it was all Al-Ansar: Mohamed Jawad was denied a clear opportunity by Bilal Hashem in the 14th minute, Prospar saw his terrific drive flashing inches off the crossbar in the 16th minute after evading a strong challenge from Hamza Hadi, Leith Hussein's curling free-kick was well anticipated by Safa's keeper...Such was the constant pressure Al-Ansar have piled over their victims of the day. 

The second half witnessed a continuous offensive attacks by Al-Ansar, for whom Prospar failed on two occasions to consolidate their slender lead: He sent the ball just wide off the crossbar in the 47th minute, before being kept at bay by Hashem just one minute later, following a splendid close-range shot. 

Safa, who relied on some rare but dangerous counter-attacks, have the opposite keeper Wissam Kanj to thank for their surprising (1-1) equalizer in the 64th minute: A long cross from the left flank by skipper Walid Dahrouj was badly misjudged by the keeper, only for Shadi Karnib to collect the loose ball and easily taps it into the back of the net. 

Syrian referee Khaled Dello, controversially sent off Safa's Lawrence Ozoma in the 66th minute, only 3 minutes after addressing him a yellow card. Not a competent ref for this kind of decisive matches. 

All in all, quite a heartening display for Al-Ansar against their main challengers of domestic prizes, only two weeks prior to their crucial encounter in the league. 

Fact Sheet: 

Scorers: AL-ANSAR.......Peter Prospar (31'), Malek Hassoun (85'). 
SAFA...........Shadi Karnib (61'). 
Cautions: AL-ANSAR......Peter Prospar (33'), Leith Hussein (45'). 
SAFA........ Walid al-Miri (51'), Shadi Karnib (64'). 
Expulsion:SAFA........ Lawrence Ozoma (66'). 
Referee: Mr. Khaled Dello (Syria). 
Venue/ Date / Attnd.: "Beirut Municipal Stadium" , 02/05/ Spectators. 

Al-Ansar: Wissam Kanj / Fadi Ayyad, Kevork Guarbetian, Fadi Hallaq (73'. Malek Hassoun), Ezzat Agha / Jamal Taha, Salim Hamzé, Leith Hussein / Henry Ikobo, Peter Prospar, Mohamed Jawad. 

Safa: Bilal Hashem / Walid al-Miri, Hamza Hadi, Habib Qdeih, Ali Wassef (58'. Ahmed Noamani) / Youssouf Mohamed, Shadi Karnib, Lawrence Ozoma, Othman Saleh / Walid Dahrouj, Abdullah Homsi (84'. Fouad Badawi). 

By "World Soccer" Magazine Reporter Mohamed Chbaro.