DUBAI - Reem Developers edged past 10-man NBAD 5-3 in the Abu Dhabi Football League, organised by Reem Investment and Mediapro Middle East, at The Dome.
NBAD goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Noumir was the undisputed man-of-the-match as he made numerous crucial saves for his team after team-mate Abdullah Al-Attas was sent off for a making a two-footed tackle. With one man down, the NBAD team remained determined to put up a good fight with Mahmoud Ismail and Abdulla Al Hajeri raising the hopes of the team as they put in one goal each after the send off to equalise 3-3 with Reem Developers. The two goals rattled Reem slightly but they managed to calm their nerves and keep their game together scoring twice to win the match.
Despite his stellar performance, goalkeeper Ibrahim lamented that he could have done better but also commented, “we will be back in the next games stronger and will play hard to win the league!”
In the Amateur Men’s games, The Mediapro Hawks are on a spree and took over the league standings for the first time this season on goal difference after putting 19 goals past Shangri. With this win, The Spartans are now level on points but six goals behind the Hawks. NBAD and Elite have closed the gap to reach a qualification spot for the Nationals in May after winning close encounters against Daman and Al Noor Hospital respectively. Both teams are only three points behind eighth, the last direct qualification spot.
In another match, team Abu Dhabi In-Flight Catering did not have a full squad for their game to see a disappointing end to the day as Team Hyper Snails took full advantage of that to bag a 24-0 win. Hassan Karimi from Hyper Snails was on a goalscoring spree putting in nine goals alone with Mohamed Al Aoui following closely behind with six.
In the women’s division, Team Tigers beat MPME 3-1 while Team Abu Dhabi downed Strom 3-0. Dubai Ladies Club are leading the points table with its player Mariam Bartawi topping the scorers’ list with eight goals.
The top eight men’s teams and the top four women’s teams of the Abu Dhabi Football League will qualify for the UAE National Amateur Football Championships. The UAE National Amateur Football Championships will be played in Abu Dhabi on in May.