The Beirut sides met at the Municipal Stadium in Beirut in the 1997–98 Lebanese Football 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 Al 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.