Dubai: Defending champions Valencia kept their hopes alive with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over ten-man Al Ahli, while AC Milan became the second team to enter the semi-finals at the Fifth Hamdan Bin Mohammad Under-18 Football Championship being played at the Dubai Police Officers Club.
Valencia scored three goals in the last 10 minutes to erase a 2-0 deficit and win against UAE champions Al Ahli on Monday after AC Milan had earlier packed off Al Shabab 3-1.
This was Al Shabab’s second defeat in a row following their 5-0 hammering at the hands of neighbours and arch-rivals Al Ahli in their first match. But it was also AC Milan’s second win in as many matches as the Italians — with at least five national youth team players in their side — giving them six points and a place in the last-four.
Real Madrid were the first to reach the semi-finals with a second straight win on Sunday.
Al Shabab will next take on Valencia in Wednesday’s last round of matches. A win, though unlikely, for the Dubai side would send the three-time champions from Spain packing as they will have just three points from three matches.
The highlight of Monday evening was a five-goal thriller between Al Ahli and Valencia. The home took the lead in the first minute, when Saud Khalid jabbed home. The Red Knights then defended with all their might and eventually launched a snap counter that caught the Valencia defence off-guard, allowing Mohammad Abdul Rahman to slam home a second in the 75th minute.
But the Spaniards never gave up and captain Alvaro Gomez pulled one back in the 80th minute. Three minutes later, substitute Alberto Rabasso poked home the equaliser.
The Valencia cause was helped by a red card for the Dubai club and that was all they needed as Gomez scored a second when his free-kick from outside the area deflected in off an Al Ahli defender.
“I think we were asleep in the first 25 minutes, but luckily we woke up in time to win the three points and keep our hopes alive in the competition,” Valencia coach Miguel Grau told Gulf News.
“We need to now look at full points in the last group match and then take things one step at a time.”
In the earlier match, Al Shabab’s Abdul Rahman Lashkari cancelled out Luca Vido’s 19th-minute strike for AC Milan, but Davide Di Molfetta and Michael Fabbro added two goals within ten second-half minutes to hand the Italians a deserved win.
