Algeria were crowned champions of the inaugural Fifa Arab Cup on Saturday night, when they defeated Tunisia 2-0 after extra-time in the final in Qatar.
The African champions captured the title through substitute Amir Sayoud’s superb 99th-minute strike and then Yacine Brahimi’s injury-time goal, after the match at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor finished goalless in normal time. Earlier on Saturday, hosts Qatar had sealed third place following a penalty-shoot-out victory against Egypt in Doha.
Algeria, though, would go on to lift the trophy, courtesy initially of a brilliant breakaway goal set up by Baghdad Bounedjah. The Al Sadd striker's flick played in Sayoud, who curled home a fantastic effort past rooted Tunisia goalkeeper Mouez Hassen.
Then, right at the death and with Hassen desperately contesting a corner in the opposition area, Brahimi raced on to a clearance, ran all the way to the Tunisia goal, and placed the ball into an empty net. Algeria, led at this tournament by former Fujairah manager Madjid Bougherra, were champions.
In a feisty first half crammed with incident — there were five yellow cards — both sides had clear opportunities to grab the lead. On 14 minutes, Tunisia defender Bilel Ifa met Naim Sliti’s deep free-kick at the back post, but thudded his header on to the Algeria crossbar. Five minutes later, Sliti cut inside from the right and forced Algerian captain Rais Mbolhi to tip his shot over the bar.
Almost in a flash, Algeria spurned the best chance of the half. Bounedjah sent a low cross from the right to Tayeb Meziani, who seemed certain to score. Five yards out, albeit with both opposition goalkeeper and defender closing in, the midfielder somehow placed his shot well off target. Those jammed inside the stadium — the official attendance was more than 60,000 — not to mention everyone watching on television, could scarcely believe it.
Just after the half-hour, Brahimi was about to grab the lead for Algeria thanks to a fine run by Youcef Belaili. However, Tunisian defenders threw themselves in front of the ball, blocking his path to goal.
And there was still time before the break for the game's major flashpoint. Tunisia’s Seifeddine Jaziri caught Bounedjah with a flailing arm as the latter protested a free-kick, with Bounedjah crashing to the turf. Jaziri was promptly booked — VAR did review the foul — much to Bounedjah’s dismay: the Algerian was at pains to point to the blood drawn by Jaziri’s arm.
In comparison, the second half was pretty uneventful. To be fair, it was still full of commitment and conviction, but the only real chance fell in the final minute. Tunisia broke forward, with Jaziri bearing down on goal. Yet the tournament’s top scorer (four goals) flashed wide his attempt. In truth, it was a tired effort.
Then Sayoud injected life into the contest and, with a swoosh of his left boot, sent Algeria on their way to the cup. As the clock ticked well past 120 minutes, Brahimi made sure of the result. A first Fifa Arab Cup was Algeria's.
Poacher
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UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
SPECS
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
UAE Team Emirates
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Sebastian Molano (COL)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Diego Ulissi (ITAS)
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Company%20Profile
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Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm - Ziyadd; 7.05pm - Barney Roy; 7.40pm - Dee Ex Bee; 8.15pm - Dubai Legacy; 8.50pm - Good Fortune; 9.25pm - Drafted; 10pm - Simsir
RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
General%20Classification
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
