The AMS UK Shield 2011, supported by Islamic Relief
The Association of Muslim Schools UK inaugural annual football tournament took place on Thursday 30th June with Leicester locals Madani High School running out as worthy winners after defeating a spirited Tawhid Boys School from London.
Group Stages
The tournament began under a heavy downpour where all the schools played each other once in the group stages. With a top four finish guaranteeing a place in the semi finals the year 8 teams of Madani High, Al-Hijrah (Birmingham) and Tawhid Boys qualified easily with big wins, while the last semi-final spot was still up for grabs until the very last kick of the group stages. Darul Uloom Islamic High School's (Birmingham) year 8 team staged a great recovery after losing their first three games to almost qualify, while Tawhid Boys’ talented year 7 team also came close. The last place was taken by Madani High’s year 7 team, after beating the Al-Hijrah year 7s, who had held the upper hand for so long.
Semi Finals
The first semi-final pitted Madani’s year 7 and year 8 teams against each other. In a close game that was decided by two late goals the year 8s overcame the year 7s ending their brave run as the only year 7 team to make it to the last four of the competition.
Madani High School Yr 8 2-0 Madani High School Yr 7
Penalty Shoot Out Drama
The second semi-final was the closest and most dramatic contest of the tournament. Al Hjrah's Year 8 and Tawhid Boys Year 8 teams could not find a break through in regulation time and the match had to be decided by a nerve wracking penalty shoot-out. Both teams missed one penalty each after the first five kicks, with each team’s keepers having to take shots and both scoring. It took until the seventh round of penalties to decide the winner, with Al-Hijrah missing theirs and sending Tawhid Boys to the final.
Tawhid Boys School Yr 8 0-0 Al-Hijrah Boys School Yr8
[pens 5-4]
Final
The final began under glorious sunshine. Both teams were exrtremely cautious from the start as they sensed what was at stake. Madani High were awarded a penalty from which their captain hit the post. Redemption came just a few minutes later for the youngster however, when he scored a stunning free kick to make the score 1-0. This brought Tawhid Boys to life and they scored a deserved equaliser from a narrow angle. Both teams went for a winner with chances at both ends.
The final was decided when the Madani High captain stepped up to score with another precision free-kick with just two minutes to go. This proved too much for the heroic Tawhid Boys who had given so much to the tournament. The final whistle blew, signalling the end of a special tournament with Madani High as champions.
Madani High School 2 - 1 Tawhid Boys School
