With the group stages over, the Emirates Islamic National School League [NSL] did not fail to disappoint as the stars of tomorrow rose to the occasion, setting the platform for more thrilling encounters in the new year.
Nine months after Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou [LFI] claimed the double in the Under-14 and U-16 categories, it was back to business in October as 70 teams began their road to glory.
Following the success of the inaugural edition, this season’s is even bigger with teams from Al Ain and Fujairah joining Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in the U-14 and U-16 battle.
As expected, competition was fierce with only two spots from the Al Ain, Sharjah, Fujairah and Abu Dhabi groups up for grabs in the last-16 round which also features the top eight Dubai teams in each age group.
Among the sides who will be in action at The Sevens on January 21 are Wellington International School. They ended the first-half of the tournament on a high, reigning supreme in the U-14 Dubai Cup.
Malek Abdelnaser was the star of the show for Wellington with the bespectacled striker scoring six times in three matches to get their hands on the trophy after a 3-1 victory over Delhi Private School.
Wellington’s next task is trying to overcome Indian School Fujairah, who finished runners-up on goal-difference. For Wellington coach Rob Weaver, despite enjoying success so far, he knows greater tests lie ahead.
“We got better as the tournament went on,” he said. “But I think by the time we play again, it will be in the middle of January. That’s a long time. What that means, is that form will be out of the window and it’s back to square one.
“In football, anyone can win it, but still got to win three or four games to win the trophy that we want. We know it will be tough but we’ll take each game as it comes.”
Other intriguing matches in the first knock-out stage includes New Indian Model School [NIMS] Sharjah’s clash against Springdales.
NIMS were in fine form in the group, winning all their three matches, scoring 18 goals in the process. They come up against Springdales, who were beaten by Wellington in the Dubai Cup.
Another side, who have a perfect record are Our Own English High School Al Ain, with a goal difference of 16. They will be aiming to keep that run going against Indian High School Oud Metha.
For reigning champions LFI, both their sides tasted defeat in the Dubai Cup and coach Frederic Deswarte said that provided the wake-up call for his players. His U-14 boys meet Merryland, while the older team face Fujairah winners Our Own English High School.
And Deswarte wants his troops to come out as “fighters” when they take to the pitch. “I’ve told them that when we play in January, you have to play like fighters,” he said. “Because we’re champions, it will be hard to achieve a double, double so we know the challenge we face.”
Topping the goal charts in the U-14s is Our Own English School’s Mohammed Hazem with an
impressive 16 goals, seven clear of his team-mate Ali Hashil.
In the U-16s, there is a five-way battle for the golden boot with Mohamed Ayman [Al Ain Juniors English], Rixon Lobo [Our Own Indian School], Josue Sanchez [Al Raha], Omar Aziz [Al Dhafra] and Abdullah Mohammed [Institute of Applied Technology] netting six goals each.
