BEIRUT: Ansar and Safa progressed to the Lebanese Cup semifinals Wednesday with the two side’s winning with varying degrees of difficulty.

Safa needed a last minute goal and extra time to overcome a stubborn Racing Beirut side 2-1 at Cite Sportive while Ansar brushed aside Ahli Sidon 5-1 in Sidon.

Amar Khan forced the ball over the line in a goal mouth scramble from a corner 12 minutes into extra time to take Safa to the semifinals.

Last year’s losing finalists Safa dominated for long periods of the game, but consistently came up short in the final third with Ngo Samuel going close at the end of the first half, putting the ball just wide of the post, and in extra time when he hit a shot straight at Hassan Hossain when one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

With 20 minutes gone in the second half, Racing Beirut hit Safa on the counterattack to take the lead. After the initial break was slowed down, the ball went wide to Mohammad Raed, who pulled the ball back into the box where captain Serge Said was on hand to put the ball past Ziad Samad.

Safa piled on the pressure in search of an equalizer and in the final minute of the game Rony Azar leapt onto Samuel’s knock-down to force extra time where Khan sealed the win.

In Sidon, Qasim Abou Khashefeh got Ansar off to a good start, turning Samir Gideon’s cross into the goal after 23 minutes.

Three minutes later Khashefeh should have scored Ansar’s second, but he hit a simple effort straight at the goalkeeper. After 36 minutes Khashefeh managed to grab his, and Ansar’s, second goal before heading over from close in the final moments of the half.

Three minutes into the second half, Ahli Sidon got back into the game through Mazan Jamal.

Mohammad Atwi was the beneficiary of a goalkeeping error to give Ansar back their two goal cushion at 63 minutes.

With nine minutes left on the clock, Mohammad Kojok slotted a penalty away to seal the win before Ibrahim Saleh laid on Kojok for his second goal and Ansar’s fifth.

The Lebanese Cup quarterfinals resume next Wednesday when Tadamoun Sour play Shabab Sahel.