DUBAI // Their challenge to Al Ahli in the Arabian Gulf League might have come to an end, but the Al Shabab manager Marcos Paqueta says his team still have plenty to play for in the remaining matches as they fight to finish second and guarantee an automatic Asian Champions League slot.
Having lost their last two matches – 1-0 at Dubai and 2-1 at home to Al Wahda – Shabab are 12 points behind Ahli, but still have a four-point lead over third-placed Al Jazira with four games left and Paqueta is determined to defend that.
“We have to think about our team and our performances, not about the others,” Paqueta said ahead of his team’s trip across the city to face Al Nasr on Friday night. “Our focus should be on keeping this position and if we want to keep this position we have to win all our matches.”
Paqueta has faced plenty of flak in recent times from Shabab fans who have been unhappy with the team’s performance in the second half of the season, especially their profligacy in front of goal.
Making an impressive, and unexpected, start to the season, Shabab had a tally of 27 goals from their first 12 matches. But in the next 10 league matches, they scored only eight. In their past 11 matches across three competitions – the AGL, League Cup and the GCC Champions League – they have failed to score twice despite creating numerous chances.
“This is a phase that the team is passing through and it’s normal,” Paqueta said. “Any team or player can go through this phase; they could get unlucky. Most teams also adopt a defensive approach against us and try to close the game down. But we will try to overcome this.
“Having said that, even a half goal is enough for me if we get three points. That is the most important thing in football and I believe we have done well to be where we are. During this whole league campaign, we have lost the second position just twice. So this is a good thing for me, not a bad thing.
“I am not disturbed [about the fans’ reaction]. Instead, this just proves that Shabab have been doing well and playing impressive football, even though we do not have the financial resources available with some of the other clubs here.”
Midfielder Dawood Ali echoed the same thoughts as he explained the lack of goals in recent matches, but he is hoping luck will change against Nasr tonight.
“Nasr are a team who have been doing well lately, progressing in the GCC Champions League and also the league here,” he said. “So it is going to be a tough match. We will try our best, like we always do, and hopefully, with some luck, we will get a good result.”
Dubai v Al Dhafra
Dubai will be hoping to get their late surge in the relegation battle going as they meet Al Dhafra at home on Friday evening.
The club have got five points from their past three games since the appointment of Junior dos Santos as manager and the Brazilian has urged his players to keep the fight going.
“We got four matches remaining, three of them at home, and we will have to fight, fight and fight,” he said. “There is no other option. We will do our best and see what happens.”
Baniyas v Sharjah
Baniyas will be missing two key players, Mohammed Fawzi and Carlos Munoz, through suspension when they host Sharjah on Friday in a match that could be crucial for the two teams’ hopes of finishing in the top four.
Fawzi picked up his third booking in the 2-1 loss at Al Ain, a game which also saw Munoz get a red card for an altercation with Fares Juma.
The incident has led to the Chilean being suspended for four matches by the disciplinary committee, which means he will miss the rest of the campaign for the Abu Dhabi club.
Al Wahda v Ajman
Jose Peseiro has set his sights on a top-four finish in the league and the Al Wahda manager is hoping his team can move a step closer to their target with a win over Ajman in the capital.
Wahda are level on 36 points with fourth-placed Sharjah, and Peseiro said: “We must strive to finish as high as we can and qualify for Asia. It is not going to be easy as five or six teams are competing for a top-four finish, but I have faith in my players.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
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The specs
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Power: 320bhp
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
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The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
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Ukraine%20exports
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At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Japan 30-10 Russia
Tries: Matsushima (3), Labuschange | Golosnitsky
Conversions: Tamura, Matsuda | Kushnarev
Penalties: Tamura (2) | Kushnarev
LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
SUNDAY'S ABU DHABI T10 MATCHES
Northern Warriors v Team Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangla Tigers v Karnataka Tuskers, 5.45pm
Qalandars v Maratha Arabians, 8pm
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
