Abu Dhabi: Espanyol beat hosts Al Ain 3-1 in the opening match of the Hazza Bin Zayed Under-17 International Football Tournament on Friday.
Juane Villas put the Spaniards in the lead in the 10th minute but, three minutes later, Al Ain equalised with a brilliant strike from Ali Eid.
In the 32nd minute, Ignasi Navarro scored to put Espanyol back in the driving seat and Ruben Enri completed the tally with another strike in the 74th minute.
In another match, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Inter Milan played out a 2-2 draw. Braidich Dario opened the scoring for the Italian giants with a spectacular strike in the 12th minute.
The Egyptian side remained undeterred and levelled in the 24th minute through Ahmad Mohammad and took the lead just before half-time thanks to an Ahmad Abdakader strike. It looked like Al Ahly would hold on to their one-goal edge, but Celeghin Enrico saved the day for Inter by scoring close to the end.
The third fixture of the day ended in the same scoreline as Al Jazira were held by Dinamo Zagreb.
Abdullah Ramadan and Zayed Abdullah scored for the UAE side in the first half, but their Croatian opponents came roaring back after the break with strikes from Sandro Kulenovic and Marijo Rajic.
In the last clash of the day, a solitary goal from Idris Kanu proved enough for England’s West Ham United to beat Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol.
“The matches on the first day have shown us all just how competitive the remainder of the tournament is going to be. We are sure that this level of competition will benefit the game as a whole here in the UAE and the region. The event has helped to showcase the abilities of all these talented young players,” said Waleed Al Hosani, member of the organising committee.