Living up to the expectations of their huge fan base, the members of expatriate Jordanian community football players made it to the final of the National Sports Day Futsal tournament, but fell at the last hurdle.
Entering the tournament as underdogs, the Copacabana team comprising Jordanian expatriates remained a tough to beat team to the very end of the tournament hotly contested by more than 40 amateur community teams.
In the final, held at Abdullah bin Suhaim Hall of Qatar Sports Club, the Copacabana team lost to Ezdan Holding team 3-1 to finish second in the championship. Both teams received huge support from the fans gathered in good numbers at the arena to cheer their respective teams.
Cheers from the Jordanian fans were louder throughout the match, particularly in the first half when Copacabana scored first to take a 1-0 lead. However, the Ezdan Holding team quickly equalled the score before moving on to score two more goals in the second half of the match, just as the underdogs Copacabana went on an all-out attack in search of more goals.
“The skill level of our players was very good, and at times much superior. However, the Ezdan team players were much fitter than our players perhaps and in the end that made the difference,” Zaid Eideh, the goalkeeper and Sporting Director of Copacabana team, tells Community.
The final match of the tournament started with a colourful ceremony with many Qatari dignitaries in attendance. The match officially kicked-off after an enthralling performance by a Palestinian dance troupe who presented the traditional Dabke dance.
The Ezdan Holding Group team lifted the trophy in a festive atmosphere as they won this cup for the first time. The Jordanian community team, sponsored by Copacabana, a Brazilian restaurant in Wakrah Souq, received the runners-up trophy.
Players from both side received medals with some players winning individual accolades for best performances throughout the tournament.
The championship featured teams from a large spectrum of society involving teams representing multiple expatriate communities besides public and private entities and community schools.
Professional players were not allowed to participate, as the idea was to give amateur players a chance to participate and demonstrate their skills. The championship celebrated the spirit of Qatar National Sport Day. 
Multiple schools, banks, companies, ministries and sports clubs participated in the tournament.
“We won our first four matches in the group to reach the last 16 and then qualified for the quarter-finals before moving on to the finals. I think our team did really well to come this far,” says Eideh. “Nobody had expected this team to get this far as we were kind of underdogs in this tournament,” he adds.
Almost all of their players are Jordanian. They have been participating in different tournaments held for communities or companies.
Prior to this championship, the Jordanian community team participated in and won a football tournament and a Futsal championship in January this year. They also won the Nations Cup last year and the Asian Nations Cup.
In that tournament, Eideh says, they managed to beat some really good teams like Lebanon, Tunisia and China. They also intend to participate in this year’s edition of the tournament. He says they have a pool of about 30 players and some of them have been national players back in Jordan.
“They have come here and are working in different capacities as coaches or trainers besides playing with our community team. We are not just playing football, we are also training other young players whenever we find time,” says Eideh.
Futsal, he says, is different from football in that it is a 5-player team event and the ball is a little heavier. It is easier to control but harder to keep. Most of the top players in world football started in futsal as it helps you with skills, says the Copacabana team manager.
Futsal not just helps with developing skillsets, but with temperament as well, as you are playing under pressure most of the time and need to move the ball very fast.
Eideh says their team has always received a lot of support from the Jordanian community living in Qatar. He also praised the facilities available in Qatar, which he said are unmatched.