Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) defeated Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMU-Q) in the final game of the Qatar Foundation’s Men’s Football Cup on Wednesday, Nov. 26, ending the competition with their historic first win.
The match started with high intensity, and just five minutes in, NU-Q conceded a goal through a counterattack from the TAMU-Q player, Abdulrahman Al Edrisi. Yet NU-Q’s supporters did not let that affect their morale and continued to cheer. Students supported their friends and colleagues, playing in the field: “Go East! Go west! Northwestern is the best!”
However, Texas A&M was leading 1-0 at halftime. Early in the second half, No. 7, Soud Suwaidi slipped a clean pass to jersey No. 93, Jassim Abdulkreem, who found himself surrounded by three defenders just outside the box. With barely any space, he took one quick touch to control the ball before drilling a powerful shot past the goalkeeper, sending the NU-Q stands into erupting cheers.
“We’re going to win,” said NU-Q freshman Anfal Radkin. “Even though we conceded a goal, we equalized.”
This goal marked a turning point in what had been a turbulent but powerful season for NU-Q. They opened with a 4-1 win against Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), followed by a 2-0 victory against Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) and a commanding 5-1 win against Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar (WCM-Q). But the team also faced setbacks, including a 1-2 loss to Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) and a narrow 0-1 defeat to TAMUQ earlier in the league, the same opponent standing between them and the cup. Their 3-2 semi-final win over HBKU secured their place in the final and set up a high-stakes rematch that carried both pressure and the promise of redemption
With the score tied 1-1 at full time, the decisive moment of the game moved into a tense series of penalty shootouts that made the whole stadium stand up and scream for each side’s goalkeeper.
The game-changer came when NU-Q goalkeeper Monther Mohamed made a crucial save, sending shockwaves through the stands. Moments later, Jassim Abdulkareem stepped up to take NU-Q’s 13th penalty and sealed the win.
The entire squad overtook the pitch, made one united circle, and jumped, shouting with joy to celebrate the mark they just left on NU-Q’s football history. The spectators flooded the pitch to join in the celebrations.
Celebrations briefly halted when TAMU-Q’s team coach approached the referees after reviewing FIFA’s penalty shootout regulations. He argued that NU-Q’s previous penalty had been taken by the wrong player, according to the official kicking order.
After checking the rules, the referees confirmed the mistake and ordered the penalty to be retaken.
Despite the pressure and confusion, NU-Q stepped up again, and this time the shot by Saeed Al Samikh was precisely placed to the right of the net, sending the crowd into another eruption of cheers, celebrating their confirmed win.
“I am so happy; I am so, so happy. This was our objective from the start of the season, and to do it with these guys,” said Yousef Abdel-Fatah, NU-Q’s center back, still in a state of ecstatic shock. “First place, first time ever! Thank you, guys, for the support and everything.”
But behind these cheers and this historic moment, there were challenges they overcame to reach the league’s final.
“We did it against all odds,” said Nawfel Ayoub, a junior on the NU-Q squad.
The team, led by NU-Q sophomore Hamad Al-Naimi, included new freshmen who had to quickly adapt to the already-established dynamics and tactics. This made it harder to strengthen teamwork at the beginning.
The decisive semi-final match against HBKU was extremely pressured for the players. “It seemed like all people on the pitch, including referees, were against us at some point,” a member of the NU-Q team said.
In the end, this brought the team closer to its hard-earned victory as it was crowned champion of the season.
“The cup is purple. The cup is purple this year,” said goalkeeper Mohamed.
This game was a breakthrough moment for the NU-Q’s athletic spirit and the Wildcats’ community pride. NU-Q’s players had shown resilience, precision, and a level of teamwork that electrified the crowd from the first kick to the last penalty. With this spirit, NU-Q’s future on the pitch looks brighter than ever.
