Boca Juniors of Argentina and hosts Al Wahda moved into the semifinals of the under-18 event of the Zayed Cup international football tournament for juniors, being played at the Al Wahda Club here.
While Boca Juniors' berth in the last four was a foregone conclusion even before yesterday's last group A matches, it was a fantastic win for hosts Al Wahda in a do-or-die situation.
Al Wahda with just one point were at the bottom of the group and were up against the second-placed Inter Milano from Italy. But in a determined display, Al Wahda carved out a 1-0 win over the Italians to leap-frog into second place behind Boca and qualify for the semis.
In the other match, Boca Juniors also had to face some opposition before they rallied from a goal down to outplay Holland's Feyenoord 2-1.
Feyenoord led 1-0 at the break but Boca Juniors scored twice to finish group A with an all-win record and 9 points.
The Al Wahda-Inter Milano match was a hotly-contested affair with both sides needing a win. Playing a very tight game, the hosts matched their more famed rivals from Italy and struck in the 14th minute, a goal that ultimately proved to be the match-winner.
Ahmad Al Hajri scored a fine goal off a combined move to carry Al Wahda into the semifinals.
Fulminense and Espanyol are currently in the lead in Group B and with one match left for each of the five teams the two other semifinalists are yet to be decided.
On Wednesday night, South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs scored a big 4-0 win over Al Jazira Club while all three remaining matches in this under-16 tournament ended in draws.
Egypt's Al Ahly were held to a 1-1 draw by hosts Al Wahda while in the same group Spain's Sevilla and Brazil's Sao Paulo shared two goals and two points.
In Group B, the UAE Junior national team were held to a 2-2 draw by Moroccan club Al Raja.
While Boca Juniors' berth in the last four was a foregone conclusion even before yesterday's last group A matches, it was a fantastic win for hosts Al Wahda in a do-or-die situation.
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