Also present was the CEO of the Qatar Stars League, Hani Taleb Ballan, who handed over the winner's trophy, were their Excellencies the Ambassadors from Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, India, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the Philippines, as well as other officials from the SC and QSL.

For Germany's Ambassador to Qatar, H.E. Hans-Udo Muzel, the tournament showcases Qatar's successful outreach to international communities building the country's infrastructure for 2022: "Congratulations for a fantastic initiative. For the fifth time you are holding the Workers' Cup, and I have to say that all the teams and companies have done a fantastic job.

"It is great to see that Qatar, by means of this football tournament, is reaching out to the international communities and the companies and workers involved in creating the infrastructure in Qatar. These players are helping the country prepare for the World Cup in 2022, and the tournament shows that the organisers, the SC and Qatar Stars League and others, are reaching out to workers, and that there is tremendous interest in getting involved."

Final decided by attacking talent

On the pitch, Nakheel Landscapes, who combined attacking flair with defensive discipline, emerged worthy winners of the fifth edition of the Workers' Cup.

A trio of attacking midfield stars from Chad and Mali shone through for the winners against fellow SC contractors Al Asmakh Facilities Management.

Nakheel coach Sami Majzoub attributed the dynamic runs of Chad-born Mahamat Aboubakar, as well as Mahamat Mohamoud and Mohamed Konate from Mali as the main reason for the win. "We played four all-out attackers and six defenders, and our trident of attacking midfielders with the striker Jacques Baone were the best attacking combination of the tournament," he said.

Majzoub, a former professional at QSL side Al Ahli, continued: "Only skills matter on the football pitch, everyone is equal whether they come from a big football country or a small one and the success of Aboubakar, Mohamoud and Konate clearly shows this."

The coach also praised his team's defensive performance. "Credit should go to our custodian, back four and two defensive midfielders. We only conceded one goal in the knockout stages," he said.

The performance of the team, the coach's tactical nous and the passion from co-workers in the stands enthralled Nakheel Landscapes Managing Director Ghassan Oueijan.

"Winning the Workers' Cup will be remembered as a significant moment in the company's history," Oueijan told www.sc.qa. "This is a tournament which exemplifies the strides Qatar has made in Workers' Welfare initiatives and winning the tournament is a moment of great pride for all of us.

"I have cheered on my team in all their matches and 5,500 of our employees, all wearing proud-to-be-employee shirts, were at the Qatar SC Stadium in the final to support the men on the pitch."

Passionate support from the stands

Majzoub and his side received vocal support from the stands. Sijin Shahudin and Rasal Barek were two of the fans who were cheering their team on. "It is a proud moment for me as a Nakheel employee," said Shahudin, originally from India.

The Lionel Messi fan who says he has been following the FIFA World Cup™ ever since he watched Diego Maradona inspire Argentina to the title in 1986, continued: "In Asian culture, the workplace is like an extended family, and we are proud of our colleagues who won this great tournament in a stadium which has formerly hosted the Asian Games and the Asian Cup.

"That my organisation has won this competition sponsored by the Supreme Committee is a great satisfaction for me as a football fan."

Bangladesh-born Barek, a Zinedine Zidane fan, added: "We are all-for-one and one-for-all at Nakheel. I am proud that our team displayed this collective spirit on the field."

The losing finalists also had their place on Friday. Krishna Lamichhane, an Al Asmakh employee, said he and his colleagues were proud of their team's achievement in 2017. "This is our team's best performance in this great competition," he said. "We have persevered and will continued to do so. We will do one step better in 2018."

After the final, players from third-placed side Larsen & Toubro could be seen gathering around five-time FIFA World Cup™ coach Bora Milutinovic, asking the renowned Serbian coach for selfies.

"This has been an unforgettable day for me," Milutinovic said afterwards. "The atmosphere was extraordinary, there is a lot of passion from the stands and from both teams.

"We've seen top class football. People will remember this for a long time. There are a lot of good players here and a lot of talents who will be looking forward to next year's edition."