2008 Lebanese Elite Cup
The Lebanese Elite Cup 2008 was the 11th edition of this football tournament in Lebanon. It was held from August 27 to September 11, 2008 in Beirut and Sidon. This tournament includes the five best teams from the 2007-08 Saison and the Cup Winner. Since Al-Mabarrah finished 4th in the league and won the cup, Shabab Al-Sahel qualified to the tournament too.
League Champions Al Ahed won the tournament after beating Al-Ansar 3–1 in the final, it was the first win for Al Ahed in this tournament. Al Ahed players Salih Sadir and Hassan Maatouk were the top scorers of the Lebanese Elite Cup, scoring three goals each.
It was the first edition after a 3-year break caused by the political protests and the 2006 Lebanon War. The draw took place on July 2, 2008 in Beirut.
Teams
| Club | City | 2007-2008 season |
|---|---|---|
| Al Ahed | Beirut | Lebanese Premier League Champions |
| Al Ansar | Beirut | 2nd in Lebanese Premier League |
| Nejmeh | Beirut | 3rd in Lebanese Premier League |
| Al Mabarrah | Beirut | 4th in Lebanese Premier League/Cup Winners |
| Safa Sporting Club | Beirut | 5th in Lebanese Premier League |
| Shabab Al-Sahel | Beirut | 6th in Lebanese Premier League |
Group stage
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Al Ansar |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| Shabab Al-Sahel |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| Al Mabarrah |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 |
2008-08-27 17:30 |
| Shabab Al-Sahel | 1 – 0 | Al Mabarrah |
|---|---|---|
Ahmad Jaradi  34' |
Saida International Stadium, Sidon Referee: Radwan Ghandour |
2008-09-02 21:30 |
| Al Mabarrah | 1 – 2 | Al Ansar |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmad El Khasir 82' (og) |
Mohammed Baqir Younis 13' Paul Rustom 38' |
Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut Referee: Mohammad Mansour |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ahed |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 |
| Nejmeh |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 |
| Safa Sporting Club |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 0 |
2008-08-28 17:30 |
| Nejmeh | 2 – 2 | Al Ahed |
|---|---|---|
| Abbas Ahmed Atwi 43' Mustapha Chahine 68' |
Salih Sadir 61' Ahmed Tarad 90+2' |
2008-08-31 17:30 |
| Al Ahed | 4 – 3 | Safa Sporting Club |
|---|---|---|
| Salih Sadir 25' Mahmoud El Ali 57' Abbas Ali Atwi 62' Hassan Maatouk 90+2' |
Hussein Tahan 13' Hamze Abboud 45' Ramez Dayoub 54' (pen) |
Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Beirut Referee: Bassam Ayad |
2008-09-04 21:30 |
| Safa Sporting Club | 1 – 2 | Nejmeh |
|---|---|---|
| Rony Azar 45' |
Khaled Hamieh 63' Abbas Ahmed Atwi 90+1' (pen) |
Saida International Stadium, Sidon Referee: Tallat Najm |
Knok-out stage
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||
| 2008-09-07 - Sidon | |||||||
| Al Ansar | 1 (5) | ||||||
| Nejmeh | 1 (4) | ||||||
| 2008-09-11 - Sidon | |||||||
| Al Ansar | 1 | ||||||
| Al Ahed | 3 | ||||||
| 2008-09-08 - Sidon | |||||||
| Al Ahed | 2 | ||||||
| Shabab Al-Sahel | 1 | ||||||
Semi finals
2008-09-07 21:30 |
| Al Ansar | 1 – 1 5–4 on PSO |
Nejmeh |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamad Atwi 52' |
Mustapha Chahine 85' |
Saida International Stadium, Sidon Referee: Tallat Najm |
2008-09-08 21:30 |
| Al Ahed | 2 – 1 | Shabab Al-Sahel |
|---|---|---|
| Hassan Maatouk 49' Abbas Ali Atwi 65' |
Ahmad Jaradi 30' |
Saida International Stadium, Sidon Referee: Mohammad Mansour |
Final
2008-09-11 21:30 |
| Al Ansar | 1 – 3 | Al Ahed |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamad Atwi 57' |
Hassan Maatouk 43' Ahmed Zreik 45+2' Salih Sadir 69' |
Top Scorer
| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Salih Sadir |
Al Ahed | 3 |
| Hassan Maatouk |
Al Ahed | 3 | |
| 3 | Abbas Ahmed Atwi |
Nejmeh | 2 |
| Mustapha Chahine |
Nejmeh | 2 | |
 Ahmad Jaradi |
Shabab Al-Sahel | 2 | |
| Abbas Ali Atwi |
Al Ahed | 2 | |
| Mohamad Atwi |
Al-Ansar | 2 |