Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club

02 March 2021, Dubai, UAE: Two out of the four most powerful teams in the Dubai Open 2021 paved their way to the final scheduled on the 5th of March.

Tomas Panelo, nicked the first goal for UAE Polo that was directly matched by Alfredo Cappella from Abu Dhabi Polo and the first chukker closed at a tie. UAE Polo carved a 5 goal lead by the end of the second chukker which they extended to 6 goals by halftime. In the critical situation, Abu Dhabi raced to narrow the gap in scores in the last two chukkers but the goal lead of UAE Polo was enough to seal the win at 12 goals to 6.

Match Progression: 1 – 1 | 6 – 1 | 9 -3 | 10 – 5 | 12 – 6
Top scorer: Tomas Panelo, 5 goals

A fervid match ensued in the next half of the afternoon as Habtoor Polo faced Ghantoot Polo. On the first chukker, Llorente Jr. claimed the first and second goal trailed by another back to back goals from Marcos Araya which gave Ghantoot Polo a headstart in the game. The flurry of goals plus the strong defense from Ghantoot placed Habtoor Polo in a difficult position despite several attempts from Facundo Sola to level the scores.

The following chukkers played in a similar trend ultimately ending the game at 12 goals to 9 in favour of Ghantoot Polo.

Match Progression: 4 – 0 | 7 – 2 | 9 – 5 | 12 – 7 | 13 – 9
Top Scorer: Marcos Araya, 7 goals

The sub-semis of the IFZA Gold Cup 2021 is scheduled for tommorrow, 3rd of March on Field 3:

14:00 Zedan Polo vs. Dubai Wolves by CAFU
16:00 IFZA-Mahra vs. Bangash Polo

Images: © Khalil Ali / ShineTV

– 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

Images: © Khalil Ali / ShineTV

17 February 2021, Dubai, UAE: The second day of the IFZA Gold Cup 2021 (Dubai Open) saw two teams scorch their way through their matches with commanding goal leads.

Dubai Wolves by CAFU faced Zedan Polo and scored the first goal by Alejandro Muzzio. Zedan Polo team was leading the game until the end of the second chukker with the majority of goal contributions from Jeronimo del Carril. By halftime, the Wolves had carved a 4 goal lead with a flurry of goals by the fourth chukker and a last-second goal from its patron – Habtoor Al Habtoor. The final chukker had Zedan Polo attempt to close the gap in scores only to be met with 2 goals from the Wolves that ended the game at 12 goals to 7.

Match Progression: 1 – 2 | 3 – 4 | 6 – 5 | 10 – 6 | 12 – 6
Top Scorer: Tommy Beresford, 6 goals

The heated match between Abu Dhabi Polo and UAE Polo teams was neck and neck until the penultimate chukker. On its first match in the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series 2021, Abu Dhabi Polo team claimed the first goal courtesy of Gonzalo Deltour. The second chukker had seen a couple of long-range goals from Alfredo Cappella and Bautista Beguerie whilst UAE Polo‘s

Lucas Monteverde Jr. matched these with 2 notable goals. The next chukkers aw several penalties and yellow cards issued and the scores were tied by the end of the fourth chukker. Abu Dhabi Polo team owned the last seven minutes of the game and added 4 goals winning the match at 12 goals to 8.

Match Progression: 2 – 1 | 5 – 4 | 7 – 7 | 8 – 8 | 12 – 8
Top Scorers: Gonzalo Deltour, 6 goals

The next qualifying matches of the IFZA Gold Cup 2021 are scheduled on the 19th of February, Field 1. Ghantoot Polo will face Bangash Polo at 14:00 and Habtoor Polo will play against IFZA-Mahra Polo at 16:00.

Images: Tony Belot and Khalil Ali / ShineTV

16 February 2021, Dubai, UAE: The IFZA Gold Cup 2021 kicked off to a blistering start having four teams compete on the first day of the tournament.

The first match of the tournament showed strong gameplay from Bangash Polo team with the opening goal from Benjamin Panelo followed by another from its Patron – Haider Bangash. The following chukkers saw IFZA-Mahra Polo team struggle to close in on the 5 goal lead of Bangash by halftime. The golden chukker for IFZA-Mahra Polo was on the fourth as the team demonstrated an amazing comeback with 4 consecutive goals from Isidro Strada and the scores were tied at 8 goals. The last chukker was a race for the win with Bangash Polo team defending and extending their lead until the end at 12 goals to 9.

Match Progression: 2 – 1 | 5 – 2 | 8 – 3 | 8 – 8 | 12 – 9
Top Scorer: Benjamin Panelo, 7 goals

Ghantoot Polo‘s debut game in the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series 2021 was against Habtoor Polo. The first chukker was on almost equal footing having 2 goals each from Facundo Sola and Nasser Al Shamsi and a penalty goal from Pablo Llorente. Ghantoot Polo took off at the second chukker with 3 goals from Marcos Araya and they kept their lead until halftime.

With 7 minutes left on the clock, Habtoor Polo tried to close the gap in scores but was maintained by Ghantoot Polo as they delivered runaway goals that sealed their first win in the tournament.

Match Progression: 3 – 2 | 6 – 3 | 8 -5 | 9 – 6 | 12 – 9
Top Scorers: Marcos Araya & Facundo Sola, 6 goals

The IFZA Gold Cup 2021 will continue on the 17th of February on Field 3 with a match between Dubai Wolves by CAFU and Zedan Polo teams at 14:00 followed by UAE Polo and Abu Dhabi teams at 16:00. 

Images: Tony Belot and Khalil Ali / ShineTV