JEDDAH — Saudi Arabian player Saba Tawfiq bagged the best player prize in the third West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Women's Futsal Championship. Saudi Arabia won the silver after losing 4-2 to Iraq in the final of the championship held at King Abdullah Sports City Hall here on Friday evening. Bahrain claimed the bronze medal after beating Kuwait 2-0 in the playoff match to determine the third place winner. Saba, a member of the Saudi national team, won the prize for the best player in the championship, organized by WAFF and sponsored by the Saudi Jahez App. The Iraqi player Shawkhan Salehi, who scored two goals in the final, emerged the tournament's top scorer while Bahrain's Zahra Ali was chosen the best goalkeeper of the tournament. The 17-year-old Saba turned in brilliant performance during the early matches of the tournament, and her standout display caught the attention of the fans in the stands and behind the screen. The fans called her the Maestro, with nearly all agreeing on her wonderful performances, her speed, and teamwork in supplying decisive passes and also scoring goals. The Saudi team reached the final in their first-ever participation in the tournament after defeating Bahrain in the semifinals on Wednesday with a super goal scored by Al-Bandari Mubarak, after the match extended to extra-time. In the second semifinal, Kuwait suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Iraq, 12-0. The Palestinian team secured 5th place in the championship after its victory against the Sultanate of Oman, which occupied the last place in the tournament in which six national teams participated.
