Dubai: Dubai Police once again ended third best in the tournament, with a 2-0 win against Dubai Lions in the play-off for the Sixth Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Football Championship held at the Dubai Police Officers Club on Thursday.
The hosts, who ended third last year, had to stay content in the same position after being stretched by Dubai Lions. The two teams were locked goalless at half-time, but it was Walid Abdullah who settled frayed tempers as he opened the scoring in the third minute of the second half. Abdullah then found the back of the net again to complete the win.
Shaikh Zayed Bin Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the patron of the tournament, attended the match and was pleased with the way the competition had progressed this year. “The ideal of this tournament is to encourage our youths to pursue healthy initiatives during the fasting month. I am happy to see teams from other emirates too keen in being part of this competition,” he said.
“Next year, we would like to see this tournament thrown open to other nationalities as well as that would engage a bigger population and the tournament will grow in appeal,” he added.
Sponsored by Emirates NBD, Dewa, Pocari Sweat and Leader Sport, the sixth edition of the Shaikh Maktoum Football Championship is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his brother Shaikh Zayed.
