Title holders Embrator show scorching form
sharjah — Day two of the Sharjah Ramadan Football Championship (SRFC) has proved to be a dream for the strikers and a nightmare for the defenders as two of the teams notched up 15 goals in two matches at Sharjah Sports Club.
The third edition of the tournament, organised by Sharjah Sports Channel under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, has already shown some superb individual and team performances from the senior teams and the Under-14s, who are competing for the first time in the SRFC, which runs until July 1.
In the junior category, who are playing in a head-to-head format, Al Burkan produced a confident and measured display to come through with a 4-2 victory against Sport 4 All, although the senior Sport 4 All team exacted some revenge with a 3-1 win against Lenasi in the men’s group competition. The match between SDI and La Magica proved to be less of a battle than a rout, with SDI showing their superiority in an 8-1 victory, and title-holders Al Embrator looked as sharp as ever in their 7-0 drubbing of Al Forsan.
Despite early pressure from Al Burkan in the U-14s competition, it was Sport 4 All who took the lead in the 6th minute through Mahmoud Yazan, although just two minutes later Al Burkan were back in business thanks to Naser Al Balouchi. Less than 60 seconds after that, Mayed Mousa scored to set the tone for the game with Sport 4 All looking in control, backing that up with a third from Mahmoud Yazan and a fourth from Hamed Zarei, as they went into the break 4-1 up.
To their credit, Al Burkan chased the game to the end, not conceding another goal and claiming one back through Abdullah Mohamed. It is Sport 4 All who claim the points though, with a final score of 4-2
In the senior four-team group format, Sport 4 All and championship newcomers Linasi were next up and it looked as though the newbies were out to cause an upset. Captain Rashid Al Hosani, opened the scoring for Linasi with a fine long-range shot that left goalkeeper Mohamed Al Salemi standing and staring. Thanks to a well-organised and rigid defence, it wasn’t until the dying minutes of the first half that Sport 4 All scored the all-important equaliser.