Sports | Tuesday 29 May, 2018 2:25 pm |

 

The last two places of the Sharjah Ramadan Football Championship (SRFC) semi-finals were decided yesterday (Monday), following an edge-of-the-seat penalty shoot-out for SDI a rout for Al Inthar.

SRFC, taking place at Sharjah Sports Club, is organised by Sharjah Sports Channel for the third year in a row under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and runs until June 1.

SDI Vs. Al Bayan

In the first semi-final of the evening, Al Bayan soon established dominance in midfield and through some excellent team-play created a chance for Portuguese striker Morier Vieira to open the scoring. In the seventh minute, SDI came back through Brazilian striker Ciego Tellez who led the attack to net his second shortly afterwards.

Al Bayan proved up to the task and Ahmed Al Suwaidi levelled the scores, only to see Mohammed Fada’q edge SDI ahead again to put them into the break at 3-2 up in what had been an exhilarating see-saw first half.

In the second period, it took nine minutes to break the deadlock, again Vieira stamping his mark on the game to level the scores with a third goal for Al Bayan. At 3-3, a certain amount of caution crept into the game and despite the occasional exchange of strikes, normal time finished in a 3-3 draw.

Neither side would have wanted a sudden-death penalty shoot-out to decide the result, but SDI came out happier through two conversions from Brazilian Oliveira and Ahmed Khalfan, while Al Bayan could only reply with a single goal from Vieira, ending the match with a nail-biting 5-4 victory for SDI.

Following the match, Ciego Tellez said: “It’s been an amazingly tough game against great opponents. From the beginning we were always looking to play attacking football but full credit to Al Bayan they came back at us every time. Penalties are always a cruel way to go out, but I think we deserved the win.”

Al Inthar Vs. Al Nojoom

The second semi-final was another excellent match for the spectators as Al Nojoom faced up to Al Inthar, although it took a full twelve minutes for one of the defences to be breached, thanks to an Omar Balhaj strike for Al Inthar. In the 17th minute, Khalid Al Hammadi doubled the score, ending the first half with a well-deserved 2-0 lead for Al Inthar, who were never really troubled too much by their opponents.

In the second minute of the second period, Hamad Ibrahim scored the third and although Abdullah Al Khamri pulled one back for Al Nojoom, the damage had already been done. Some sublime footwork and a pinpoint pass from Omar Balhaj created a chance for Mohammed Al Rasi who netted the fourth for Al Inthar, followed by Balhaj with a goal of his own and another from Hamad Hassan who rounded off a 6-1 win, giving Al Inthar the last place in the semi-finals.

Al Inthar join SDI, Sharjah Police and Al Embrator for the semis which take place tomorrow (Wednesday).

One of the key players of the night, Omar Balhaj, put the win down to some great teamwork and a confidence that his side can go all the way to lifting the trophy.

“This championship is a brilliant platform for talented footballers in Sharjah and across UAE and is a serious landmark in terms of achievement for the teams taking part. There are extremely tough games ahead and no one can afford to be complacent but we are always looking to win, no matter who the opposition. We are as good as any team left in the competition and are determined to come out on top for our fans who have shown us such immense support,” Balhaj said.

The championship hosted Emirati football team player Majid Hassan who said Monday’s games were a great reflection of the players’ huge footballing abilities and talents.

“The Sharjah Ramadan Football Championship has built an impressive reputation as a unique platform to attract talented footballers in indoor football thanks to Sharjah Sports Channel. The ever-impressive turnout of spectators is a testimony to the resounding success the championship enjoys,” he said.