Da Silva confident of making semi-finals
Dubai Police, Fohood Zabeel start off with rousing wins in futsal at NAS Sports
senior reporter
Alex William Da Silva is confident of making at least the semi-finals after scoring a fine hat-trick while guiding Dubai Police to a big 8-2 win to send Dmani Water crashing out of the futsal competition at the Sixth Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Tournament late on Tuesday.
The Brazilian striker scored in the first period and then added two quick goals at the beginning of the second to help Dubai Police make the most ideal start in their Group A encounter. Edged 5-6 by The Storm in their opening match, Dmani Water desperately needed a win to stay afloat for a place in the last eight, but they fizzled out in the second period with Da Silva leading the scoring. “This was a tough game, but we knew we had to play and win against a quality side,” Da Silva told Gulf News.
“During the second period we were the better team and we should have won by a much bigger margin. For me personally it is important to score and hold the team together. With the form we are hitting I wouldn’t be surprised
if we can at least make the semi-finals,” he added.
Dubai Police will still have to play The Storm to decide the group winners and then wait to see their opponents for the quarter-finals from Group B. “We are a solid team who have a good balance between attack and defence. I can only expect the team to get better with each match,” Da Silva related.
Disappointment for MKS
There was disappointment for MKS as well on the night. Impressive in their 5-0 win over The Emperor in their opening Group B match, they were brought crashing down to earth following a 3-1 loss to Emirates Driving Institute (EDI). Williams Oliver Do Nascimento opened for EDI when he powered in and drilled home in the second minute, while Thiago Teles Martins doubled the advantage midway. ■ Khalid Mohammad Hareb found the back of the net for MKS, but Martins found his second goal to see EDI ease through with full points.
Fohood Zabeel, meanwhile, looked a class apart as they started their campaign with a thumping 8-1 win over Sport 4 All. Taynan Da Silva scored a hat-trick for Zabeel and Douglas Junior struck twice, while Ahmad Al Hossani, Ronald Mateus Da Silva and Abdullah Al Hossani scored one apiece to help the former champions start on a rousing note.
The 2018 NAS Sports Tournament will see more than 5,000 athletes compete for a total prizepurse of Dh6 million across eleven different competitions. The tournament will conclude with the futsal final on June 6.