Ghantoot Earn Semi-Final Spot Despite Golden Goal Defeat in Gold Cup Polo

Royal Club Lose 8-7 To Defending Champions Habtoor 

Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club will meet Bin Drai Polo in the Dubai Gold Cup semi-final on Monday, despite this afternoon’s (Friday).golden goal defeat to Habtoor Polo at Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club. After being deposited from the Dubai Silver Cup by a golden goal at the semi-final stage last month, Ghantoot will not have good memories of extra time in this tournament.

Initially the Abu Dhabi-based side gained the early lead, finishing the first period with a one-goal advantage. Habtoor’s Nacho Bello opened the scoring but it was not long before Ghantoot’s Juan Zubiaurre and Facundo Sola scored to end the first chukker, 2-1.

The second chukker saw Sola score twice more, while Mohammed al Habtoor and Ezequiel Martinez notched for Habtoor. Going into the decisive third leading by 4-3, Martinez swiftly converted two early penalties before Habtoor teammate, Guillermo Cuitino buried a neck shot to take the home side into the lead by a single goal, 6-5.

Cuitinho proved his neck shot was no fluke, by scoring another in the fourth chukker to extend his side’s lead to 7-5 but Ghantoot fought back courtesy of a fine goal from Zubiaurre to bring them within one goal of their opponents.

It was the Royal Club’s top scorer, Sola who claimed the equaliser to send his team into extra time.

And it was Habtoor’s Bello who sunk Ghantoot’s hopes of breaking their golden goal curse in this event.

Ali Al Marri, Ghantoot’s Emirati star was upbeat.

“We lost today but we can take a lot of good things from this match,” he said. “First of all we are in the semi-final so it didn’t affect our progression in this event. Secondly, we were able to fight back from two goals down to get level and earn a fifth chukker and I think that demonstrates the kind of commitment and passion that we play with at Ghantoot.

“Now we will be putting that golden goal behind us because all our energies will be focused on the semi-final on Monday against Bin Drai. Our objective all along has been to get into the final of this tournament and that has not changed.”