The semifinals of the Dubai Open 2019 came to an exciting end, with UAE Polo beating Desert Palm before Habtoor Polo defeated Abu Dhabi Polo Team.
The first match saw UAE and Desert Palm fight neck and neck all the way up to the third chukka, but the first half finished 6-5 in favour of UAE Polo. In the fourth, UAE further took the advantage, scoring four goals from penalty shots and a last second goal from Matias Benoit, ending the chukka 10-7. Desert Palm’s Bartolito Castagnola was able to score a goal in the last, but only to be offset by a goal from Alejandro Muzzio, 20 seconds short of the final buzzer. The match concluded with a final score of 11-8 in favor of UAE Polo.
The second semifinal was as intense as ever, and did not disappoint. The first chukka saw Mohammed Al Habtoor, patron of Habtoor Polo, score the from the first line out; the team then proceeded to hold the lead until the end of the second (6-3). Facundo Sola and Alfredo Cappella traded penalties for either side to finish the fourth at 10 goals to 9, with Habtoor still in the lead.
In the last chukka, Alfredo Cappella’s goal for Abu Dhabi tied the match, but the stalemate was broken by Hugo Lewis scoring for Habtoor Polo. The team held on until the end to take the 11-10 win.
JULIUS BAER GOLD CUP SEMIFINALS
UAE POLO 11-8 DESERT PALM
UAE Polo: HH Sheikha Maitha 0, Vizcacha Benoit 6 (1 goal), Tomás Panelo 4 (6), Alejandro Muzzio 8 (4). Total: 18.
Desert Palm: Camilo Castagnola 5 (2 goals), Rashid Albwardi 2, Rufino Bensadon 5, Bartolito Castagnola 6 (6). Total: 18.
Score UAE Polo: 3-2, 4-4, 6-5, 10-7, 11-8.
HABTOOR 11-10 ABU DHABI
Habtoor: Mohammed Al Habtoor 0 (1 goal), Hugo Lewis 3 (2), Facundo Sola 9 (6), Tommy Beresford 6 (2). Total: 18.
Abu Dhabi: Faris Al Yabhouni 0, Guy Gibrat 5 (4 goals), Alfredo Cappella 9 (6), Santiago Gómez Romero 4. Total: 18.
Score Habtoor: 3-1, 6-3, 8-7, 10-9, 11-10.
SUBSIDIARY SEMIFINALS
WOLVES 10-9 GHANTOOT
Wolves: Raja Abuljebain 0 (1 goal), Justo Cuitiño 3, Cacu Araya 7 (3), Manuel Crespo 7 (6). Total: 17.
Ghantoot: Ali Al Meri 1, Cesar Crespo 4, Juan Gris Zavaleta 8 (6 goals), Martin Donovan 5 (3). Total: 18.
Score Wolves: 3-2, 4-4, 7-7, 8-8, 10-9.
ZEDAN 8-5 MAHRA
Zedan: Raja Abuljebain 0, Martin Gandara 5 (2 goals), Santiago Laborde 6 (5), Rauli Laplacette 7 (1). Total: 18.
Mahra: Rashid Al Habtoor 0, Diogo Gallego 5 (2 goals), Jaime García Huidobro 7, Pelayo Berazadi 5 (5). Total: 18.
Score Zedan: 0-2, 2-2, 3-3, 5-4, 8-5.
The Julius Baer Gold Cup comes to an end on Friday at Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club:
Bentley Cup Subsidiary Final: Dubai Wolves vs Zedan
JULIUS BAER GOLD CUP FINAL: HABTOOR VS UAE POLO
THE DUBAI GOLD CUP SERIES IS STREAMED LIVE ON POLOLINE TV HERE.
Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series:
-Silver Cup (18-goal): January 25 – February 8.
-Polo Masters Cup (10-goal): February 10-15.
-Julius Baer Gold Cup (18-goal): February 18 – March 8.
-Dubai Challenge Cup (18-goal): March 15-30.
-Dubai Cup (8-goal): April 2-12.
JULIUS BAER GOLD CUP: Fixture & Teams
PICTURE GALLERIES:
