The teams Ghantoot and Habtoor Polo qualified for the final of the second Ghantoot International Polo Championship, which will conclude next Saturday evening, the 8th of Ramadan, at the Ghantoot Club under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club, with the support of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and in coordination with the UAE Polo Federation, and with the contribution of many entities and institutions. The tournament was organized with the participation of the top elite teams, at a level of (20 handicap-goal). The organizing committee of the championship prepared a community sports celebration in the evening, which will be the grand finale of the tournament, with the title currently held by the Abu Dhabi Polo team, which finished third. This event marks the conclusion of the club’s major tournaments for this season, which has been vibrant with community sports activities.
The qualification of the Ghantoot Polo team came after they secured victories in their opening matches against the Al Habtoor and Emirates Polo teams before their final loss to the Abu Dhabi Polo team 8/6. However, they managed to earn 4 early points that guaranteed them the top spot and qualification, led by Nasser Al Shamsi, Ferrari, Marcus, and Juan. As for the Al Habtoor team, their qualification came at the expense of the Emirates Polo team, which almost achieved an exciting victory if it weren’t for the golden goal scored by the golden player Mohammed Al Habtoor. The match was tied until the end of the fifth and final chukker with a score of 10/10.However, the decisive sixth extra time came in their match the day before yesterday in the final matches of the preliminary round. The Al Habtoor team remained in the lead until the beginning of the fourth quarter with a score of 9/4. However, the UAE Polo team, led by Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, their Emirati polo player, rallied and took control of the game until they equalized at 9/9 and took the lead for the first time at 10/9. Al Habtoor equalized in the last minute of the fifth and final quarter, and the decisive moment came in the extra time, where Al Habtoor team captain Mohammed Al Habtoor snatched the difficult victory with a golden goal that led his team to the golden final. It is worth mentioning that the preliminary round match between the Ghantoot and Al Habtoor teams ended in favor of Ghantoot with a score of 12/7.
