BARCELONA // Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz offered no excuses after his side were eliminated from the Uefa hampions League by Barcelona on Tuesday night, losing 2-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
“They had a fantastic match, they controlled the game and they have an amazing philosophy to play football,” the Brazilian told The National. “It’s difficult to play against a team like this, especially when you are without four or five important players in the first game. They deserved to win and be in another semi-final because they were better in both games.”
Luiz, who was booked after three minutes for a late tackle on Ivan Rakitic, was criticised for his performance, with former Manchester United player Roy Keane saying on British television: “I actually feel sorry for him. He doesn’t smell danger and the stuff there is literally schoolboy stuff.
“You’ve got to give the boy sympathy, a little bit, because he doesn’t look like he knows what he’s doing.”
Luiz, a €50 million (Dh276.6m) signing from Chelsea last year, brushed aside criticism and preferred to credit Barcelona for their efforts.
“Barca are improving at exactly the right moment and are a favourite to win the competition,” he said. “They’ve had an amazing team for a long time, they understand their philosophy and each player knows exactly what to do on the pitch. They spent a lot of money for a lot of years.
“We didn’t have a good result in the first leg so it was always going to be very difficult to come here. We still had opportunities in that first leg though.
“In the second, we tried to do our best, to have character. It’s better to die trying and I think we did that, but Barca controlled the game. If you don’t play well against an opponent like this then they can kill you. They were better than us. Sometimes football is like that.”
Luiz is still satisfied with his side’s run to the last eight.
“We had an amazing Champions League until these two games. We beat Chelsea, my old club who are always one of the favourites. But we need to improve if we’re going to win the competition.”
PSG return to league action on Saturday with a home game against Lille. They are joint leaders of Ligue 1 with Lyon, though Laurent Blanc's side have a game in hand with six matches to play.
“Our season is not over,” said Luiz. “We won the League Cup and we’re still in two competitions: the league and the French Cup final against Auxerre. We can still win the treble.”
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m
6.30pm: Liwa Oaisi Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
The National selections: 5pm: Flit Al Maury, 5.30pm: Sadah, 6pm: RB Seqondtonone, 6.30pm: RB Money To Burn, 7pm: SS Jalmood, 7.30pm: Dalaalaat
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
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Price: From Dh215,900
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Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
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Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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Ireland (15-1):
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
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6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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