FC Gladiator is the champion side of the DSC Monday Night 7s at the Dubai Sports City Football Academy after producing its best form at the perfect time.

It secured a semi-final win against ADNOC Distribution and then followed that up with a convincing 3-0 success against Lukoil in the final to take the title and the silverware.

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And FC Gladiators player Mehdi added to the celebratory mood among his team as he secured the award for the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

FC Gladiator’s success was the climax of a thrilling tournament that started off with 22 sides all aiming for glory.

Meanwhile, the Plate competition, for the 12 lowest-placed sides after the first stage of the competition, produced a thrilling ending with Team Premier taking that prize – but only after a thrilling penalty shoot-out against ABCDE FC.

The final finished 1-1 and went to spot kicks and it was Team Premier that prevailed 3-2. And after the match its goalkeeper Ismail won the Golden Glove award as the tournament’s top stopper across all 22 sides.

Team Premier made it through to the Plate final thanks to a 2-1 victory against Johnson & Johnson in the semi-final, while ABCDE FC earned its place in that ultimate match through a 3-1 win against the HP Dragons.

All the teams played a minimum of 13 matches spread over eight weeks and the seven-a-side tournament took place under floodlights on the grass and artificial outdoor pitches of Dubai Sports City’s Sports Village.

That is within sight of the office of former Real Madrid and Spain legend Michel Salgado, now the Director of Spanish Soccer Schools, the Dubai Sports City coaching programme for five to 16 year-olds that already has well over 1000 children enrolled in just its second year of operation.