UAE Polo Team Captures Their First Victory of the Tournament
BP Polo and UAE Polo Team were both in search of their first win in the Gold Cup for the British Open Championship during the final game of the eighth day of play and it was UAE Polo Team who entered the win column, defeating BP Polo 16-12 at Cowdray Park Polo Club.
Amassing 27 shots, UAE Polo Team continued to attack goal throughout the match, producing enough opportunities from the field to overwhelm BP Polo. In one of the performances of the tournament, Polito Pieres finished with an impressive 12 goals to lead UAE Polo Team to victory, while BP Polo were without 10-goaler Juan Martin Nero for the second consecutive game, with Nico Pieres filling in admirably with six goals. A foul-ridden game resulted in both teams converting seven penalties, however UAE Polo Team’s advantage in open play guided them to the four-goal victory.
Applying their determined attack in the opening chukka, UAE Polo Team looked to take the early lead after producing seven shots, but their inaccuracy from the field gave BP Polo an opportunity to pull ahead. Two Penalty 2 conversions from Nico Pieres, along with a field goal from Alejandro Muzzio resulted in a 3-2 advantage for BP Polo. Maintaining the one-goal difference, BP Polo’s Pieres and Muzzio continued to carry their team forward as they tried to capture the win, but the continued pressure of UAE Polo Team paid off at the end of the half. Eight shots in the third chukka contributed to five goals as BP Polo remained pinned in their own half. Two goals each from Polito Pieres and Tomas Panelo gave UAE Polo Team their first lead, heading into halftime ahead 9-6.
The second half demonstrated the proficiency of Polito Pieres on the attack as he accounted for six of UAE Polo Team’s seven goals over the final three chukkas. Limiting BP Polo to just one penalty conversion in the fourth chukka, the UAE Polo Team counterattack was led by three goals from Pieres, extending UAE Polo Team’s lead to five. BP Polo generated their offense from the penalty line in the final stages of the match, adding four penalty conversions but it was not enough to match the electric attack of UAE Polo Team. Adding two penalties of his own, Pieres completed the impressive 12-goal performance to help UAE Polo Team grab their first victory in the high-scoring 16-12 triumph.