Second-half goals from Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski gave Germany a 3-0 win against Kazakhstan last night for their fourth straight victory in Group A Euro 2012 qualifying.
Klose, who scored twice against Turkey on Friday, opened the scoring minutes after the restart before substitute Gomez put Germany in control with a goal in the 76th minute. Podolski, who provided both his compatriots with their earlier efforts, them helped himself to one as his powerful, left-foot shot five minutes from time gave Joachim Loew's side maximum points from four games.
In the group's other match, Rashad Sadygov struck in the first half against Turkey to deliver Azerbaijan their first points. Armenia scored three goals in the first half and added one more after the break to secure a 4-0 win over Andorra. Gevorg Ghazaryan, Henrik Mkhitaryan and Yura Movsisyan made it 3-0 at half time. Marcos Pizzelli hit the target from long range to seal the win seven minutes after the break.
The win puts Armenia top of Group B with seven points, although Russia, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland each have six points and a game in hand. In Group C, Kyle Lafferty spared Northern Ireland a humiliating defeat by the Faroe Islands when he struck a 76th-minute equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw. Christian Lamhauge Holst gave the home side a shock lead in the 60th minute. Northern Ireland, who held 2006 World Cup winners Italy to a 0-0 draw last Friday, missed several chances to win.
The draw gives the Faroes - made up of a group of islands in the north Atlantic - their first point in qualifying. Balazs Dzsudzsak scored an injury-time winner to give Hungary a 2-1 victory over Finland in Budapest. Mikael Forssell's 86th-minute goal looked to have earned Finland their first point in qualifying, but Dzsudzsak scored five minutes into added time. Adam Szalai opened the scoring for Hungary in the 50th minute.
South Korea and Japan, two of Asia's World Cup representatives last summer, fought out a 0-0 draw in a blood-and-thunder friendly lacking only goals to mark a pulsating clash between the Asian rivals. Japan, who stunned Argentina 1-0 last week in their first match under Alberto Zaccheroni, the former AC Milan coach, pushed South Korea hard. * Agencies For the rest of last night's international results, log on to www.thenational.ae/sport
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com