Qatar and the United Arab Emirates joined hands to kick start a landmark football event pitting the major club sides from the two nations, who squared off for the prestigious Qatar-UAE Super Cup and the Qatar-UAE Super Shield in the one-off matches. The inaugural event turned out to be a huge success adding colours to the Eid Al Fitr festivities for football enthusiasts.
The inaugural event took part in two legs with Doha hosting the first match between Qatar’s Amir Cup champions Al Arabi and UAE’s President’s Cup winners Sharjah at the Al Thumama Stadium – a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 venue on Friday. The second match took place between the 2022-2023 ADNOC Pro League champions Shabab Al Ahli and the 2022-2023 Qatar Stars League winners Al Duhail in Dubai yesterday.
Both the games produced thrilling action with a huge number of fans attending the top clubs of the region in action.
In front of 17,362 fans at the Al Thumama Stadium, Al Arabi lifted the Qatar-UAE Super Cup after beating Sharjah 1-0 with star Yousef Msakni scoring the winning goal for Younes Ali-coached side in the second half. Msakni finished with a cool lob over the onrushing goalkeeper Adel Al Hosani, after an assist by Hassan Alaaeldin, to give Al Arabi the well-deserved lead in 58th minute which they retained with some solid display in defence to seal the win.
Qatar Football Association (QFA) President Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain and QFA Vice-President Mohammed Khalifa Al Suwaidi honoured the two teams.
Coach Younes lauded his players for their fine performance, hoping the title will motivate his team in the remaining season which includes team’s title defence in the forthcoming Amir Cup.
Yesterday’s game at Rashid Stadium in Dubai also saw an absorbing contest with Shabab Al Ahli edging Al Duhail 2-1 to win the prestigious Qatar-UAE Super Shield in front of their fans. The match between the two star-studded sides lived up to expectations as Shabab Al Ahli rallied from a goal down to record victory with a stoppage time winner by Igor Jesus. Al Duhail had taken the lead Philippe Coutinho in the first half with Luka Milivojevic scoring the equalizer in the second half.
Overall the two matches witnessed quality contests as the initiative succeeded in achieving the goal of underscoring the collaborative spirit between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates involving a great number of fans from the region.
The fans would definitely love the event to continue for many more years to come between the two countries.
