Dubai: Belgian star Karim Bali stole the show with a goal in the final minute to help XCAT join defending champions Fohood Zabeel and Al Zeer as the first three teams to make the quarter-finals of the futsal at the third Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Ramadan Sports Tournament.
Tied 2-2 with Fohood Jumeirah with less than 22 seconds left for the final whistle, Bali stepped up to convert the spot-kick past Omar Tarek Ebrahim on goal to give XCAT full points and book their spot in the knock-out stages from Group B.
Until Bali’s conversion, the match looked set to end as a draw with Tareq Abdullah Aman cancelling out Adil Zouthane’s goal in the first half. Najeeb Al Allouchi put XCAT ahead but Aman once again levelled. With 29.6 seconds remaining, Aman was given a direct red card and Karim coolly placed a low shot past the Fohood Jumeirah goalkeeper as XCAT escaped with a narrow win.
Earlier, defending champions Fohood Zabeel rode on a five-goal spree from Rafael Franca Bezerra De Lira (Rato) to pummel their way to a 10-3 win over Al Aseefa Falcons.
Al Zeer too bagged maximum points in their second match when they scored three goals in the final four minutes for a deserving 5-2 win over Forsan Al Ittihad.
Fohood Zabeel head Group A with a better goal difference and their final match against Al Zeer on Wednesday night will decide who ends as group leader. Forsan Al Ittihad and Al Nojoom are out of the reckoning for the knockout stages after losing both their games.
In Group B, the second spot will be decided after Fohood Jumeirah plays Al Bahri on Wednesday night, with the winner joining XCAT in the knockout stages. In case of a draw, Fohood Jumeirah will advance on a better goal difference.
Meanwhile, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) kept their semi-final hopes alive with a convincing 34-15 win over hosts Dubai Club for Special Needs in the Wheelchair Basketball.
The win took Dewa to seven points to stay tied with the hosts after three games each with their final encounters against Dubai Sports Channel and leaders Dubai Municipality respectively.
In Group B things are clearer with Hamdan Heritage Centre already booking their place in the semi-finals with three straight wins. Public Prosecution will battle Union Co-Operative with the winner taking the second spot.
The semi-finals will be played at the Dubai Club for Special Needs in Al Ghusais on Wednesday night, while the final will be held at the NAS Sports Complex on July 5.
After the conclusion of the international competition, padel tennis began domestic level tournaments. Former UAE tennis player Hassan Sharif was the standout with two wins on the night. Sharif first teamed up with Shaikh Saeed Bin Hasher Al Maktoum to score an effortless 6-1, 6-0 win over Zayed Abbas and Abdullah Al Qaiwani in the competition for UAE nationals and then paired up with German Zunica to brush aside the brotherly duo of Mohammad and Abdullah Ahli for an equally comprehensive 6-0, 6-1 win in the men’s event.
The competition for teams also continued with SHM securing a tight 2-1 victory against the Tom & Serg team.
