Defender Keegan Gomes showed he has the scoring touch as his brace sealed the inaugural U-14 Zabeelers Football Cup for Virginia Woolf.
The 12-year-old struck in either half, including the eventual matchwinner, as Woolf defeated Demolition Crew 2-1 in the championship decider at New Academic School in Dubai.
With Demolition Crew topping the group stage with four wins and then beating Manchester Boys 2-0 in the semi-finals, Woolf had a difficult task of sealing silverware. But after their closely-fought 1-0 triumph over United FC in the last-four, Woolf went into their game full of confidence.
Demolition Crew began brightly with Safwan Baig’s long-range effort tipped over by Woolf’s goalkeeper Kayd Date. Baig was again denied by Date after being put through on goal after some smart footwork from Joshua D’Souza.
The momentum was with Demolition Crew as D’Souza hit the post just moments later. They were later made to pay when Woolf took the lead through Gomes.
After being awarded a free-kick, Gomes made the most of the opportunity, unleashing a thunderous shot that found the back of the net. That sparked a response from Demolition Crew but despite their efforts, Woolf stood firm.
Demolition Crew upped their tempo in the second half and were finally rewarded through Baig. With the scores at 1-1 and all to play for, both sides continued to create chances but neither could find the back of the net. Gomes soon had the final say, netting his side’s second which proved to be the eventual winner.
“It feels amazing to score two goals,” said Gomes. “I never really score a lot of goals because I play in defence. The tournament was a great way for us to show our skills against players of different ages and abilities. I really found this useful and you could see that the boys really enjoyed themselves.”
Their victory meant they came out on top in the six-team eight-a-side tournament and organiser Ross Ferns was impressed with the quality displayed.
“What I liked the most was the team spirit of each side,” he said. “Myself and the other coaches work voluntary in working with these players since last year and it was great to see so many children play in this first tournament as matches will only help them improve.”
