RIFFA // It is on such small margins that World Cup glory is won or lost. Jaycee John could barely hide his rage as Saudi Arabia's Waleed Abdulla denied him once again in added time. The Bahraini forward had been a late introduction in Riffa on Saturday night but in the 10 minutes he had been on the pitch, tearing through the exhausted Saudi backline with impunity, he had seen three of his chances repelled by the Saudi goalkeeper.
Abdulla's bravery in tipping over his deflected shot was rewarded with a collision with the post. John merely gave out an animalistic scream that reverberated around the stadium and kicked an imaginary ball, as if replaying the incident again and again in his head.
The bare facts tell us the first leg of the two-legged World Cup play-off between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia ended in a goalless stalemate. But this was a game of two outstanding goalkeeping performances, a captivating second half, crippling cramp and, eventually, a miss that could well see Bahrain miss out on their first appearance at the World Cup finals.
The talk before the match was whether Saudi Arabia's World Cup pedigree would see them brush Bahrain aside. But the Bahrainis really should have won this match and could rue their missed chances if they fail to get a result in Riyadh on Wednesday.
"The game was good and our players had an impressive game," said the Bahrain coach Milan Macala, and yet his pronouncement gave away a hint of disappointment. "To be honest, I don't know whether the result is good for us or not. We wasted a lot of chances and we were not fortunate."
Luck certainly was not on Macala's side.
The match began slowly and both sets of players looked like they were wading through treacle.
The Bahrainis, especially the excellent Salman Issa, were always the more threatening going forward yet every time they got close to breaking the deadlock, Abdulla denied them.
At first it looked like Sayed Mohamed Adnan's towering header that crashed off the woodwork was simply an unlucky miss, but replays showed the Saudi keeper got the slightest of fingertips to it.
It was a stunning stop that, along with his last gasp denial from John, has handed the Green Falcons an advantage they scarcely deserve.
Aside from a few long-range shots, dealt with comfortably by Sayed Jaffer in the Bahraini goal, and an ironclad Yasser al Qahtani penalty appeal that was somehow denied after he was cynically fouled in the penalty area, Bahrain edged proceedings.
Saudi Arabia's Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro was certainly the happier of the two coaches when the final whistle sounded. "It was a positive game from both teams who tried to score and they showed this intention," he said. "We will give our best on Wednesday to win at home."
The Saudis will be all too aware of their home-leg advantage. The King Fahd International Stadium will see a partisan, 70,000 crowd demanding victory, a victory that would have been out of reach this morning but for Abdulla's heroics.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
