RIO DE JANEIRO // World champions Spain predictably outclassed tiny Tahiti at Estadio Maracana scoring 10 goals without response to go top of Group B and as good as secure their passage to the Confederations Cup semi-finals.
Fernando Torres finished the match with four goals, while strike partner David Villa claimed a hat-trick. Two goals from David Silva and one from Juan Mata completed the rout against the French Polynesian island, ranked 138th in the world.
Tahitian goalkeeper Mikael Roche called the result "the worst" but conceded that "against the best team in the world, it reduces the pain".
Vicente del Bosque made 10 changes to the team that beat Uruguay 2-1, with Sergio Ramos the only player to retain his starting place. Eddy Etaeta, the Tahiti head coach, made a single alteration to the team that lost 6-1 to Nigeria, replacing goalkeeper Xavier Samin with Roche.
The Pacific islanders gifted each of the Spanish players a shell necklace before kick-off and, playing the role of underdogs, enjoyed strong support from the 71,000 spectators that filled the recently redeveloped stadium. As a result, Spain inherited the role of pantomime villains, their every touch jeered. When Torres opened the scoring after just five minutes, beating Roche at his near post, his celebration was met with boos.
Tahiti, home to only 180,000 people, had never played in front of such a large crowd and seemed buoyed by the show of support. They enjoyed more possession than they might have expected, although Torres provided an indicator that perhaps the world and European champions were not playing to full capacity when, with half an hour gone and comfortably leading 1-0, he elected to pass when through on goal.
Silva showed more ruthlessness moments later when he collected David Villa's through-ball and calmly slotted past Roche. Torres immediately added his second, beating the Tahitian offside trap again, this time rounding the goalkeeper and passing into an empty net.
Tahiti were playing a dangerously high defensive line and could have conceded again soon after, but Villa's shot found the side-netting. Any frustration the Barcelona forward was feeling at missing out on the goals disappeared when he got off the mark six minutes before half time, latching on to Silva's cross and slipping the ball past the helpless Roche to take the score to 4-0.
The 31 year old Villa notched his second five minutes into the second half and completed his hat-trick in the 64th minute when Roche spilt what should have been an easy save. By that point Torres had already converted a cutback from substitute Jesus Navas to claim his third.
Mata, Torres's Chelsea teammate, got in on the act after 66 minutes to take the score to 8-0 before Torres struck a penalty on to the cross bar after a harshly judged handball. Roche's celebration looked a little over-exuberant and Torres punished him a minute later when he showed electric pace to burst through on goal, round the keeper and fire into the net to claim his fourth of the evening.
In the final minutes, Silva completed the rout, taking Spain into double figures and eclipsing the 9-0 they managed against San Marino in 1999. Tahiti, meanwhile, despite having been thoroughly outplayed, received a standing ovation from the Maracana to cap an afternoon none of the team will forget.
"It is really very surprising what happened to us here, because despite the very lopsided competition and all the goals we have conceded, we have had an overwhelming support from the people in the Maracana," Etaeta, the coach, said. "We lost by 10 goals, but we won the hearts of the Brazilian public."
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
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What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh125,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh170,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 (D)1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
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UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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