Emperor, Khorfakan post wins as battle for last eight hots up at SRFC

The third day of the Sharjah Ramadan Futsal Championship (SRFC) witnessed a fierce competition in the race to the quarter-finals. Eight teams competed for one of the four spots in the quarter-final round.

The tournament is being organised by Sharjah Sports channel under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah. It runs until May 19, at the Sharjah Sports Club Arena Al Hazana Branch.

In a fiercely fought match, the Emperor defeated Al Bahiri by 3-1. In the first half, their Kazakh striker Urazof Pirshan opened the scoring, which was followed by another goal minutes later. Al Bahri also continued pressing hard scoring their goal.

In the second half, the competition intensified. Al Bahri’s Hameed Naser scored the second goal for the team but they were taken by surprise when the Emperor’s Khaled Bihole netted the ball in the 11th minute, with the match ending 3 goals to 1.

In the second match of the day, the ABL group dominated the match proceedings against Al Wahadan. The ABL group comfortably defeated Al Wahadan with an overwhelming margin of 7 goals to nil.

In the third game, Khorfakan maintained the pressure on Al Shabab when its striker Ahmed Al Nakbi opened the scoring, that was followed by 9 subsequent strikes from its players.

In the last few minutes of the match, Al Shabab’s Jalal Saeed scored the only goal for his team. Thus, Khorfakan won the round with a 9-1 record.

The final match brought together Sharjah Police, leader of Group A, and Fuhood Zabeel. The fired-up camps played well but both teams drew nil-nil.

In the eighth minute of the second leg, Nofal Al Taei shot a cannonball that Saud Al Sheeba could not save, scoring the match’s first goal for Sharjah Police. In a hard-fought match, before the end of the second leg, Jonathan Cezar equalised with a shot to the top left corner of the goal, resulting in a draw.

The match was attended by Major General Saif Al Zari Al Shamsi, Sharjah Police Commander-in-chief. He commended the efforts of the Sharjah Sports Club and the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority representatives, in organising the event for the fourth consecutive year during Ramadan. He described the event as a significant platform that attracts talented young athletes towards the indoor football game, Futsal.

Four groups will be playing on Tuesday. Al Wahdan will be face to face with Al Hamriyah at 10 pm; Khorfakan will be up against Sport 4, at 11:05pm; Fuhood Zabeel will take on Mofaja at 12:10 am; and finally, Al Bahri will meet AG 90 at 1:15 am.

Meanwhile, SRFC organising committee is calling on sports enthusiasts and fans to support players of all participating teams. The initiative is aimed at boosting enthusiasm and enhancing the athletic fervour.

The SCRF organising committee is also giving away valuable prizes to cheering spectators and their families at the stadium. Rewards include  smart phones, tablets and airline tickets presented by Air Arabia, along with attractive gift vouchers and cash prizes.

In addition, live draws are held between matches during the competition, in the presence of distinguished guests, famous athletes, football players, renowned artists and social media influencers