Al Dhaid sitting pretty atop Group A

Al Arabi Kuwait remained unbeaten and tied for the top spot in Group A as the Second Reach Target Ramadan U-14 Football Tournament got under way in Sharjah over the weekend.

Al Arabi first got the better of Sharjah Stars 2-0 and then squeezed past Etihad Sports Academy 1-0 to remain tied for the top spot with a maximum six points. Joining them with six points following two wins from three encounters is Al Dhaid, who remain at the top in the group with a superior goal difference compared to the team from Kuwait.

Doing well with an unbeaten record was the Spanish Club as they first notched up a 7-1 thrashing of Al Mokawloon followed by a comfortable 2-0 result against Dubai to stay on top of Group B. Al Mokawloon recovered from the disappointment of losing their first match to get past the MBZ team with a 5-0 thumping and remain in the hunt.

In other matches, Ajman defeated MBZ 6-0, while Al Jokar got the better of Al Dhaid 2-1.

Nine-a-side format

Sponsored by Huff and Puff Restaurant, Al Taghreed, EMIC, Sharjah Cement Factory, Leader Aluminium, Sadaf Restaurant and Al Hamad Building Contracting Company, the under-14 event has attracted 14 teams playing in a nine-a-side format with a total amount of Dh100,000 on offer. The final is scheduled for May 23.

Tournament director Tareq Salim Abdullah Saeed Al Khanbashi said the response to the competition had been great. “We are confident that this tournament will fulfill the need of players at the grassroots level.”