Lega Pro crowned champions in Hamdan football

Dubai: Lega Pro Italy rode on goals on either side of half-time to walk away victors in the 2nd Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Under-19 Football Championships that concluded at Al Nasr Club's Humaid Al Tayer ground here, on Monday.

The two sides had met in their Group A opening match last week and the Italians had won that encounter 3-1 to be the only team to come through with an all-win record throughout this competition.

Lega Pro Italy took the lead a few minutes before the half-time whistle, and then added a second midway through the second half to ensure a comfortable win in the end.

Al Shabab tried their best to claw back into the match, but the Dubai side found it hard to get past the Italian defence.

Former England coach Fabio Capello was joined by Italy's World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, former Ghanaian skipper Abedi Pele and Dr. Ahmad Sharif, Secretary General, Dubai Sports Council at the trophy presentation after the final.

In the play-off held earlier, RC Lens defeated Birmingham 3-2 to take the third place in the championship. Paris Saint Germain had won the inaugural version of this championship when it was held in 2009.

This championship was held under the directives of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC) in an attempt to give junior players from Dubai clubs the exposure of playing against different schools of football.

All six clubs from Dubai participated in this championship Lega Pro Italy grouped alongside Al Shabab, Al Nasr, Dubai Club and Kuwait's Al Jahraa FC in Group A, while Group B comprised of RC Lens of France, Birmingham FC from the UK and local clubs Al Wasl, Al Ahli and Hatta Club.