Al Shabab to meet Lega Pro Italy

Al Shabab secured a narrow 3-2 win over Birmingham FC from the UK to enter the final of the 2nd Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Under-19 Football Championships to conclude at Al Nasr Club’s Humaid Al Tayer Stadium on Monday. Al Shabab’s opponents in the final will be Lega Pro Italy after the Italians fought past RC Lens of France 4-3 in the tie-breaker after being tied 1-1 at the end of regulation time. Former England manager Fabio Capello is scheduled to attend the final followed by the presentation of trophies along with other famous footballers including Italy’s World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro. So far, Al Shabab has shown good form in this tournament following their convincing 3-0 win over Al Jahraa of Kuwait in their crucial group match earlier this week. Lega Pro of Italy too have been consistent in their results so far as they remain the only unbeaten team in the competition so far. In their last outing Lega Pro had hammered Dubai Club 10-1 for a spot in the semi-finals. The championship is being held under the directives of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council in an attempt to give clubs in Dubai an exposure at top-level football from all over the world.