Throughout Saturday's 2-1 victory at Stoke City there were chants of "Spurs are on their way to Wembley". The words were made famous 29 years ago with a catchy pop song to mark Tottenham's 1981 FA Cup final appearance.
Entitled "Ossie's Dream", it paid homage to Osvaldo Ardiles, their hero, although it was Ricky Villa, his Argentine midfield teammate, whose mazy run and finish - one of the greatest FA Cup goals of all-time - sealed a thrilling final replay against Manchester City.
The side now have a couple of Croatians in Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar who provide the magic in midfield. They have made the prospect of winning a ninth FA Cup a realistic one as they prepare to host Fulham in their quarter final replay at White Hart Lane tonight.
Following his performances at Euro 2008, Tottenham knew what Modric could offer. A season in England has helped him adapt and toughen up to cope with the physical rigours of the Premier League.
His countryman, Kranjcar, first joined Portsmouth in 2006. Ridiculed for being overweight, the son of Zlatko Kranjcar, the former Croatia and Al Shaab coach, the schemer took time to settle. But he flourished at Fratton Park under Harry Redknapp and joined the manager at Spurs when the chance arose at the start of this season.
"Some of his performances have been unbelievable," said Redknapp, who will strengthen his midfield next season with the signing of Sandro from Inter Milan, it was announced yesterday.
"He was brought up in a football family so Niko knows the game.
"When I signed him for Portsmouth, I asked Slaven Bilic [the Croatia coach] about him and he said he was one of the most talented players anywhere. He said, 'Come here and see Luka too', and what a fantastic footballer.
"It's a country that produces great technical players; Robert Prosinecki and Davor Suker. It produces that type of players. They are skilful, but great professionals, too.
"They work hard and never give you a problem."
In this campaign, they have certainly justified Redknapp's faith and praise. Modric has come back strongly from a broken leg he suffered in August, while Kranjcar has provided consistency and class across the midfield as injuries limited Redknapp's options.
His winner against Stoke, his seventh goal of the season, kept Spurs in the hunt for the coveted fourth Champions League spot. Fulham should beware of this twin threat.
After their exploits in the Europa League, knocking out Shakhtar Donetsk and, memorably, Juventus, Fulham have established their own cup pedigree. But Roy Hodgson, the manager, does not want lows to follow such highs.
"Whatever happens now, it will be results that condition people's judgement on us," he said.
"If we have a good end to the season and win some more games, people will say they put the Juventus game behind them.
"If we don't they will say it was the Juventus game that ruined them. That's football."
The Cottagers have yet to score a goal in three games with Spurs this season. The initial cup tie finished goalless, as did their match on Boxing Day. However, Tottenham won the league game at White Hart Lane in January 2-0.
@Email:akhan@thenational.ae
Spurs v Fulham, 11.45pm, Aljazeera Sport +3 & +5
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
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Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.