Dubai: All eight quarter-final spots were decided in the futsal competition at the Fifth Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament with The Emperor and Zajel both sealing their places from Group C, while Sport For All and Al Wasl advanced from Group D.
Zajel claimed full points with a 4-3 win over The Emperor, but both teams made it through at the expense of MKS in Group C, while Sport For All rode on a brace from Khalid Saeed Al Seqetri to beat Healthy Sports 3-1 and qualify along with Al Wasl from Group D.
Meanwhile, Al Taher became the only team in the competition with an unbeaten record so far when they hammered Leader Sport 12-2 to top Group B only to be joined by The Storm as the second side. Al Jawareh and Quattro Sports Centre were the first two making the knock-outs from Group A earlier on Thursday.
The futsal competition will now take a minor break with the knock-outs commencing on June 12.
The two finalists for the UAE Nationals category in padel were also decided on Friday night with Mohammad Al Janahi and Mohammad Al Mansouri taming the pairing of Shaikh Saeed Bin Hasher Al Maktoum and Omar Sharif Al Marzouqi, while the Ahli brothers Mohammad and Abdullah accounted for Zayed Abbas and Abdullah Ahmad in the second semi-final.
Al Janahi and Al Mansouri won 6-2, 6-2 against Shaikh Saeed and Al Marzouqi, while the Ahli brothers were too good for Abbas and Ahmad while winning 6-1, 6-0. This will be a third final for Al Janahi — a former champion with Omar Bahroozian — while it will be the first time in a final for Al Mansouri.
“We’ve been in the teams’ final for the past two years and we are yet to win. I feel this is our year,” Abdullah Ahli told Gulf News.
“We’ve improved on a few things as a pair, and though we know it will be a tough final against Mohammad Al Janahi and Mohammad Al Mansouri, we have the confidence of taking the title this time,” he added.
Al Janahi too felt confident of a first-ever crown in his first attempt. “They [Ahli brothers] are very competitive, but we have a strategy in place and we will ensure we stick to our plan,” the former champion said.
“Our effort will be to get a title as we want to make this a memorable coming together for the two of us as a pair,” he added.
RESULTS
Futsal: Al Taher v Leader Sport 13-2; Zajel v The Emperor 4-3; Sport For All v Healthy Sports 3-1.
Quarter-finals (June 12) Al Jawareh v The Storm; Sport For All v The Emperor; (June 13) Al Taher v Quattro Sports Centre; Al Wasl v Zajel.
Padel UAE Nationals Semi-finals: Mohammad Ahli/Abdullah Ahli bt Zayed Abbas/Abdullah Ahmad 6-1, 6-0; Mohammad Al Janahi/Mohammad Al Mansouri bt Omar Sharif Al Marzouqi/Shaikh Saeed Bin Hasher Al Maktoum 6-2, 6-2.
