UAE Polo and AM-UAE Polo Teams Inch Their Way Closer to Claiming the Standard Chartered Gold Cup 2020 Trophy
DUBAI, UAE
The Dubai Open 2020 Semifinals had given polo fans an exciting afternoon with two matches, AM - UAE Polo against Ghatoot Polo team and UAE Polo versus Zedan Polo team. The first match started with a neck shot from Santiago Cernadas of AM - UAE Polo team. Marcos Araya matched with two goals placing Ghantoot Polo ahead which they kept until the end of the second chukker. AM - UAE Polo scored five goals in a row delivered by Jacinto Crotto and Cernadas that created a five-goal advantage. The tenacity of the teams continued during the last two chukkers - AM - UAE Polo maintaining their lead and Ghantoot Polo trying to score in goals to cut the gap in scores. The last goals from Ali Al Merri and Pablo Llorente during the last chukker were not enough to beat AM - UAE Polo team as they closed the game at 11 goals to 8.
Match Progression: 1 - 2 | 3 - 4 | 8 - 4 | 10 - 6 | 11 - 8
Top scorer: Santiago Cernadas, AM - UAE Polo Team, 6 goals
Santiago Laborde opened the next match for Zedan Polo Team and took the lead until the third chukker having two goals from its patron - Amr Zedan. The teams kept outscoring each other, but Zedan Polo team held on to their two-goal advantage until the end of the fourth chukker. UAE Polo team made an excellent comeback from being behind its opponent during the last two chukkers with three goals from Tommy Beresford which resulted in a tie at the end of the buzzer. Santi missed the chance to take the win for Zedan Polo with a penalty shot at the start of the sixth chukker. Both teams raced to score the golden goal and it Tomas Panelo who successfully tapped the ball into the goal and sealed the win for UAE Polo team, 9 goals to 8.
Match progression: 0 - 1 | 2 - 3 | 4 - 5 | 5 - 7 | 8 - 8 | 9 - 8
Top scorer: Tommy Beresford, UAE Polo, 7 goals
Four formidable teams are set to compete at the final of the Standard Chartered Gold Cup 2020 on the 6th March 2020, Friday at the grounds of Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club. Abu Dhabi Polo and Habtoor Polo teams will compete at the Bentley Cup trophy at 14:00 and AM – UAE Polo and UAE Polo teams are vying for the Gold Cup trophy at 16:00.
Catch the action live and join a spectacular afternoon and polo at the picnic area of Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club or watch it online on Pololine TV’s livestream.
About Standard Chartered Private Bank – Title Sponsor
Standard Chartered Private Bank provides private banking services to clients across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe, through onshore booking centres in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, India, London, and Jersey. The company also offers global Trust and Fiduciary capabilities through its Singapore centre. Its aspiration of being the private bank of choice among generations of entrepreneurs is built on Standard Chartered’s inherent strengths: a heritage of some 160 years in international banking, a presence in 60 of the world’s most dynamic markets, and a strong understanding of growth markets.
Bentley Emirates – Main Sponsor
Bentley Emirates, part of Al Habtoor Motors, the official dealer of Bentley in the UAE is the largest Bentley Dealer in the world. Driven by professionalism, quality and high standards of customer service, Bentley Emirates continues to serve with utmost confidence and is poised to scale even greater heights.
U.S. Polo Assn. – Official Apparel Sponsor
U.S. Polo Assn. is proud to be the official apparel partner of the Dubai Gold Cup. The brand not only designs custom performance jerseys worn by some of the teams competing in the tournament, but also sells its product in Dubai and 180 countries around the world.
About the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series
Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series was founded in 2009 by Mohammed Al Habtoor, patron of the Habtoor Polo team. Growing rapidly every year, the Gold Cup (Dubai Open) was recognised by the World Polo Tour (WPT); in January 2014, the WPT committee credited the Gold Cup tournament as the highest competition in terms of points within the WPT Challenge Cup category, elevating it to 50 points for the winner. 2015 marked the first time ever that the WPT upgraded the Gold Cup Tournament from ‘Challenge Cup’ to the highly coveted ‘WPT Cup’, resulting in winners receiving 60 points. In 2017, the tournament was moved up to WPT Championship Cup – the highest competition point-wise, awarding its winners with 125 points. The Silver Cup is ranked under the WPT Cup category, with 50 points for winners and the Dubai Challenge Cup falls under the WPT Challenge Cup Category, awarding its winners with 20 points. Dubai Gold Cup Series is proud to be the only tournament series with this exclusive accreditation in the GCC and MENA Region, ranking it among the best polo tournaments worldwide.
