Mohammed Al Habtoor´s team wins in Abu Dhabi

A thrilling penalty shootout to decide the competition

November 26, 2012

    By Gonzalo Etcheverry   Mohammed´s Al Habtoor,Hublot Team Buenos Aires defeated Abu Dhabi by a 3-2 score through a penalty shootout, an secured the opening Coutts Polo at the Palace, that took place in Abu Dhabi on the weekend.  The match finished 5-5 in regulation time, and went into penalty shootouts. The two professionals converted their penalties, and the final result was decided through shots by the teams' respective patrons, Mohammed Al Habtoor and Faris Al Yabhouni. Mohammed Al Habtoor converted his shot, but the win was secured when Faris Al Yabhouni failed to convert.  "I've been practicing some penalties", said Al Habtoor. "I told Faris that one of us would knock the team out, either him or me, because these guys are professionals, they are going to score 100%".  Faris Al Yabhouni showed to be a very good contender. "Penalties are luck but overall the tournament was nicely put together,"  he said. "All the teams did their best to win, and the final was very close. We scored to put 5-5 in the last minute. About the penalties, well, everybody converted; I tried, but the ball  went wide".    The final was watched by a large number of assistants on the lawns of Emirates Palace and with the sun quickly setting on a stunning weekend of polo action.  Buenos Aires' captain Mohammed Al Habtoor was awarded the Coutts Cup by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research at the official prize giving ceremony.  Earlier, Team Milan secured the Plate honours, after beating Team London by a narrow 9-8.  Coutts Polo at the Palace was a spin-off of the popular London event 'MINT Polo in the Park', which pioneered the City Polo Series. The event will continue in places like Singapore and Shanghai, as well as other financial capitals.  Palace Polo was played on a pitch a third smaller than a regular polo field, which meant the spectators were closer to the action. Each team had three players (reduced from the usual four) and all the action started with the spectacular 'Palace dash' where two opponents raced at full speed from opposite ends of the polo pitch to get to the ball first.  Teams Participating Coutts Polo at the Palace      

 Coutts Polo at the Palace, Abu Dhabi