Players of Al Habtoor and Nice FC in action during a Maktoum Bin Rashid Ramadan Football Championship match.

Al Habtoor defeated Nice FC 2-0 in a Maktoum Bin Rashid Ramadan Football Championship match at the Dubai Police Club on Saturday.

Debutants Al Habtoor dominated the proceedings from the beginning. Rashed Ali put Al Habtoor ahead in the fifth minute of the game.

Rashid Issa doubled their lead after scoring a goal through superb kick in the 17^th minute. Nice FC tried hard to make a comeback in the game but Al Habtoor managed to keep lead until the referee blew the final whistle.

In other matches, National Paints edged past Hanover Medical Centre team 2-1 and the Embrator defeated Dnata with the same result.

Both National Paints and Hanover Medical Centre failed to break the deadlock in the first half. Mohammed Ali opened in the scoring for Hanover Medical Centre but National Paints managed to equalise when Jalal found the back of the net hardly after few minutes.

Sufian scored in dying minutes of the game which helped National Paints downed Hanover Medical Centre.

The 19 teams participating in the tournament have been divided into four groups. At the end of the preliminary round matches, the top two sides from each group will advance to the knockout quarter-finals.

The ninth edition of the Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Memorial Football Championship is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammad Bin Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.