Al Obaidli on the money for Rich Target

Leader Sport ride on Al Mesrar brace to win in Sharjah Ramadan football opener

Leader Sport edged past Al Bayan 4-3 in a thriller while Khalid Al Obaidli thumped in four goals as Rich Target thrashed Wasit 6-2 in the junior competition on the opening night of the Sharjah Ramadan Football Championship (SRFC) on Friday.

The tournament, being held under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, began with a spectacular opening ceremony in the presence of Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council; Shaikh Saqr Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Sports Council; Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City, and Mohammad Hassan Khalaf, Director of Sharjah Media Council, among others.

Young Khalid Al Obaidli hogged the limelight, topscoring with four goals, as Rich Target swamped Wasit 6-2 in the opening match of the under-14 competition. Al Obaidli opened the scoring in the third minute before Rashid Darwish equalised for Wasit two minutes later. The joy was short-lived though as Al Obaidli completed a hattrick in the eleventh minute.

Saif Al Hammadi made it 4-1 at the end of the first half. Ali Abdul Qader swelled the margin and Mohammad Ahmad pulled another back only to see Al Obaidli add a fourth.

See-saw contest

Moroccan Sofian Al Mesrar scored a brace to lead Leader Sport to a 4-3 win over Al Bayan. Al Mesrar put Leader Sport ahead in the sixth minute only to see Al Bayan level and take the lead through Ahmad Al Suwaidi. But Leader Sport tied it on Bilal Baqali’s goal. Al Mesrar scored his second on eleven minutes in the second half and Baqali added a fourth for a 4-2 cushion. Al Bayan’s Spanish professional Leman Lecor reduced the margin.