Morocco won the fifth edition of the Arab Beach Soccer Cup ‘Capital Cup’ for the first time in their history, after defeating Mauritania 6-5 in the final match held today, Monday, at Porto Said Stadium in Port Said. The triumph came at the conclusion of the tournament organised by the Arab Football Association and hosted by the Egyptian Football Association from 5 to 9 November.
Dr. Rajaa Allah Al-Sulami, Secretary-General of the Arab Football Association, and Mohamed El-Sherbiny, member of the Egyptian Football Association board, presented the tournament cup and gold medals to the Moroccan players, while the Mauritanian team received silver medals after finishing second.
Morocco became the third team to win the Arab title, joining Egypt and Saudi Arabia, each of whom has won the cup twice.
Morocco’s path to their first title
The Moroccan team topped Group B with 7 points, after defeating Lebanon 7-4 and Libya 7-1, and overcoming Oman on penalties following a 5-5 draw in regular and extra time. They then beat hosts Egypt 3-2 in the semi-final, before clinching the final by a one-goal margin.
On the other side, Mauritania topped Group A with 6 points, beating Iraq 8-1 and Egypt 4-1 and losing to Saudi Arabia 2-3, then defeating Lebanon 5-3 in the semi-final. Meanwhile, Amhamed Manar, Morocco’s goalkeeper, won the Best Goalkeeper award, while Cheikh Belkheir, Mauritania’s player, received the Best Player award, and Mohamed Al-Saleh, Lebanon’s striker, was crowned top scorer with 8 goals.
InfoSport numbers
- 6-5: the final score, the highest total goals in a single match in the fifth edition.
- 7 points: Morocco’s tally at the top of Group B without any loss.
- 117 goals in 15 matches: a scoring rate of nearly 7.8 goals per match.
The fifth edition saw the participation of 8 teams: Morocco, Mauritania, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq and Libya. This first title gives the Moroccan beach soccer team a place in the record of Arab champions, after years of Egyptian and Saudi dominance of the cup.
