Habtoor Polo won the first match of the McLaren Cup, the first trophy of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series 2017, in the first match of the season, held today at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort.
Patron Mohammed Al Habtoor ́s team defeated Wolves Polo by 9 goals to 7 with Alfredo Capella replacing injured Nicolás Pieres in the ini al line up.
First three chukkers were played at full speed, with both teams in a very even level and a very short difference in the score for Habtoor Polo.
The second half of the match was another story. Habtoor Polo took notice of coach Guillermo Cuitiño words and achieved to score three consecutive goals for a 8-5 gap for the last seven minutes of the match.
Despite of Wolves reaction Habtoor secured the victory with another goal in the last chukker for a 9-7 final result.
Alfredo Capella and Tomás Beresford where the top scorers of the match with 4 goals each and, for the record, Habtoor Al Habtoor (Wolves) scored the rst goal of the tournament.
Match progression: Habtoor: 1-2/ 3-2/ 5-4/ 8-5/ 9-7
The McLaren Cup will continue tomorrow with a double ac on day at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort. Starting at 2 pm Desert Palm will play against UAE Polo Team in eld 2 and from 4pm Bin Drai will face Zedan in eld 3.
To see all the teams and results click here
Photos: Gonzalo Etcheverry