Dubai: Asia’s best futsal player Ali Asghar Hassan Zadeh hailed his Al Taher team on their concentration after knocking out the fancied Fohood Zabeel to advance to the semi-final of the Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Tournament, being held at the Nas Sports Complex.
In Sunday’s second quarter-final, Hassan Zadeh’s defending champions fought well from a one-goal deficit to stun the star-studded Fohood Zabeel outfit and win 2-1 to advance to the last four against Emirates Driving Institute (EDI) before a packed audience.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest Asian futsal players in history, Hassan Zadeh has been named AFC Futsal Player of the Year on three occasions so far from 2014 to 2017. He was also a nominee for the World Futsal Player of the Year in 2015.
On Sunday, the 30-year-old Iranian showed exactly why he is considered among the best in his profession as he led his team on comparative novices in successfully holding off attacks from the much fancied Fohood Zabeel attackers led by Brazilians, Ronald Mateus Da Silva, Taynan Da Silva Rego and Douglas Junior Da Silva Negreiros.
Everything seemed certain after Fohood Zabeel took an early third minute lead when Tariq Abdullah Obaid Al Ali found his pile-driver from outside the area go past Taher Nasser Ali Hussain on the Al Taher goal. But the defending champions, who had lost to an extra-time own goal against Al Bahri in their opening group match, kept their cool and two-time World Cup Brazilian player Jefferson Luis Correa Carpes struck two quick goals in the eighth and 12th minutes to give Al Taher an unlikely lead.
From then on, it was a cat-and-mouse game with Fohood Zabeel believing in their three-pronged attack force of Da Silva, Rego and Negreiros, while the underdogs just fell back to defending their narrow lead till the end.
“To achieve a victory against such a strong team is a thing of fantasy,” Hassan Zadeh told Gulf News.
“And if we were to narrow down on one aspect of the game tonight, that would be discipline while defending. Our team played tactical and managed to hold off one of the best attack lines in the world. Perhaps no one believed we could do this, but we stayed confident throughout even though we conceded an early goal. And this shows the spirit of this team,” he added.
In an earlier one-sided quarter-final, EDI toyed with an under-par The Storm for an 8-2 win and earn the right to meet Al Taher in the semi-final. The Storm came for the match with just six players, including a lone foreign professional [Leonardo Mendonca Da Rosa]. The Brazilian however received a straight red card for a deliberate foul in the 12th minute and The Storm had to play with all five amateurs on the pitch, giving them very little chance against a ferocious attacking trio of Thiago Teles Martins, Rangel Taian Pess Pereira and Williams Oliver Do Nascimento.
EDI led 4-1 at the break with goals from Sabri Jameel Ahmad, Pereira, Mohammad Abdullah Salem and Martins. In the second period, Do Nascimento added a brace, while Salem, Yousuf Ali Ahmad and Jaber Safars Shah got their names on the scoresheet to complete the rout.
Results and fixtures:
Futsal quarter-finals: Emirates Driving Institute bt The Storm 8-2; Al Taher bt Fohood Zabeel 2-1. Semi-finals: Dubai Police vs Al Bahri; EDI vs Al Taher
Padel Men’s Open final: Javier Lopez/Sandy Farquharson bt Xavier Masson/Benjamin Cassaigne 6-3, 6-3; Third place: Emilio Misas/ Carlos Luna bt Mohammad Al Mansouri/Guillermo Villafane 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
