– Ghantoot Polo secures a spot at the Semifinals
– Bangash Polo and Habtoor Polo teams advance to the Quarterfinals
22 February 2021, Dubai, UAE: The Dubai Open 2021 is slowly whittling the line up for the quarterfinal and semifinals. The fifth day featured two matches with the first one between Ghantoot Polo and IFZA-Mahra Polo teams.
The game was one-sided in the first half as Ghantoot Polo commanded a 6-goal lead. IFZA-Mahra Polo however managed to narrow the gap in scores by the penultimate chukker. The final minutes of the game saw Isidro Strada and Jacinto Amadori attempt to level the game but, the significant goal lead of Ghantoot Polo was enough to seal the win at 12 goals to 10.
Match Progression: 4 – 0 | 6 – 0 | 9 – 3 | 11 – 7 | 12 – 10
Top Scorer: Pablo Llorente, 7 goals
Each carrying a victory under its belt, Habtoor Polo and Bangash Polo teams delivered an exciting game for the spectators at Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club. Federico von Potobsky claimed the first goal with an open backhand shot and Benjamin Panelo ended the chukker at 2 goals for Bangash Polo. Facundo Sola closed the gap in scores during the second with two goals but an excellent defensive play by Haider Bangash led to another goal
from Potobsky, keeping Bangash Polo on the lead. Habtoor Polo managed to steal the lead during the third chukker that surpassed by strong defense from Bangash during the penultimate chukker.
The final chukker was a race for the Habtoor Polo team to close in on its opponent and incurred several penalties in the process. Felix Esain delivered a critical goal for Habtoor Polo from 100 yards, that was matched by 2 goals from Benja that closed the game with a win for Bangash at 9 goals to 6.
Match Progression: 2 – 0 | 3 – 2 | 3 – 4 | 7 – 5 | 9 – 6
Top Scorer: Benjamin Panelo, 5 goals
The IFZA Gold Cup 2021 will continue on the 23rd of February on Field 3:
14:00 IFZA – Zedan Polo vs. Abu Dhabi Polo
16:00 UAE Polo vs. Dubai Wolves by CAFU
