Real clinches DSA honors

Saleem Aboo DAMMAM — The curtains came down on an exciting first in-house tournament of the Dammam Soccer Academy (DSA) at the Al-Gosaibi Football Ground recently. The thrilling final between DSA Real and DSA United that ended 3-3 in regulation time and took the nail-biting game into penalties wherein goalkeeper Sameer Hassan held his nerve and steered Real to a 7-4 win. For the closing ceremony the DSA had the renowned former Indian international and Police Football Team player P.K. Balachandran as chief guest and Afzal Kannur as guest of honor. DSA Chairman Noushad Kizhakkeyil presented a memento to Balachandran and introduced him and Afzal to the trainees and parents. Both Balachandran and Afzal shared a few experiences and appreciated DSA initiative. Bilal Imthiyas of Real, with an astounding 15 goals to his record from 5 matches, took home the Golden Boot award for the top scorer. Mishal Muneer of United won the Emerging Talent award for his extraordinary ball control skills and his contribution to numerous goal-scoring opportunities. His teammate and the scorer of the best and most significant goal of the tournament, Mathew Abraham, claimed the Hero of the Match award for his equalizer that took the game into the penalties. Adil Shaju of DSA Barca was awarded the Hero of the Match honor in the semifinals.