Saturday’s result sealed progression to the last 16 for ADIS, although there would have been a few nervy moments as Dhafra equalised late on – another goal for them would have sent Raha International School through at their expense.

Omar Khaled had put the group leaders 1-0 ahead but there were triumphant scenes within a few second half minutes when first Neel Anand and then Zayed Palat put ADIS 2-1 ahead.

However, Khalifa Khaled was left unmarked to steer in a brilliant header minutes from the end, although both sides would have been content with a result that sent the duo through to the knockout stages taking place in early 2017.

“It was a tough game, a bit disappointing to concede a late goal,” said ADIS goalscorer Anand, 15. “We are through to the knockout stages though and we are happy about that. If we’d lost we would have been out so it was all on the line and we did what we had to do. There was a lot of celebrations when we scored, it meant a lot to us.”

The final day in Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, was bittersweet for Raha coach Desiree Small. The American saw her Under-14s surprisingly qualify for the knockout stages, while her much-fancied Under-16s were knocked out as a result of ADIS’ draw with Dhafra.

“They have good days and bad days and when they come out against these teams they can’t afford to have any bad days,” Small said. “The U-16s are not as consistent as they need to be. That’s the thing that’s disappointing because I’ve seen and know how well they can play.”