Positioning and elegance were David O'Leary's forte during his playing career with Arsenal yet both were missing from his team, Al Ahli, last night as they were well beaten by a spirited Al Nasr.
A lack of synergy between O'Leary's two centre-backs, the decorated Fabio Cannavaro and Mohammed Qassim, gave Nasr a two-goal lead inside 21 minutes, with Carlos Tenorio and Ismael Bangoura scoring one apiece. The duo then doubled their individual and team tally in the second half.
"We were beaten by a better team and within that better team they had two strikers we couldn't cope with," O'Leary said after his second defeat in seven games of the league.
"No excuses on my behalf. The best team won this match by a mile.
"What I would say is until we change and get the shape right, which is going to be a big challenge for this season and next, what we got to do is be a solid unit. We've got to be organised and stay together.
"Today, we played like individuals. When we play like individuals, things like this can happen. If we think we are all great players and do our own thing, we are going to get punished and we got punished today.
"I spoke to the players last night and I said, 'the strength of this team is the two forwards'. I had been impressed with what I had seen [of them] and they, today, have impressed me more.
"But for all I praise them, the strikers, if you give goals away like the first two, you get no chance of doing anything… absolutely nothing. Game over. That's what it was - two absolute gifts. 'There you go, there's your two-goal start'. We are not good enough to give teams two-goal starts, not yet."
Eid Baroud, the delighted Nasr coach, credited all the hard work the team had put in over the past 10 days for the win. "This victory has not happened by accident," said Baroud, who took over the reins of the team after Helio dos Anjos' was dismissed on October 11.
"We have worked really hard over the last 10 days, every player and all the members of the staff."
arizvi@thenational.ae
Dubai 1 Baniyas 4
Baniyas scored four goals in their win at Dubai with Fawzi Basheer (29 and 45 minutes) scoring twice, and Theyab Awana (52) and Andre Senghor (58) getting one apiece. Baniyas struck back after Rashid Hasan had given the hosts a 10th-minute lead from the penalty spot. But it proved to be a false hope for the basement side, who remain pointless.
Sharjah 0 Al Wahda 0
Al Wahda's problems in front of goal reared their head again last night as they drew a blank in a scoreless draw at Sharjah. The champions have failed to find the net now in five of their seven Pro League games to date, with this latest result denying them the chance to move upto third in the table. The Abu Dhabi have scored 10 goals this season, but five came in one game at Dubai. The only consolation for Wahda is that they have now gone 508 minutes without conceding a goal.
Al Jazira v Al Wasl
Al Jazira will be eyeing top spot when they host leaders Al Wasl at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium tonight. Just one point separates the two teams at the top of the Pro League and Ibrahim Diaky, Jazira's veteran playmaker, said: "I expect the game to be a treat for the fans because it involves two of the best teams of this season." The match will be the first Pro League game to be broadcast with English commentary, in a bid to attract more expatriate fans.
8pm, Abu Dhabi Sports 1
Al Ain v Al Dhafra
Al Ain, who are lagging in eighth position in the table, will be desperate for a win after earning just two points from their last four league games. Injuries are still a problem for the nine-time league champions, with Ali Wehaibi, Jumaa Saeed and Abdullah Sultan still out of contention. Their Ivory Coast striker Ibrahima Keita, however, has been training with the team and is expected to start against a Dhafra side who are just one spot below them.
5.05pm, Abu Dhabi Sports
Al Shabab v Kalba
After an emphatic 3-0 win at Sharjah in their last match, Shabab will be looking to add three more points when they host struggling Kalba. Carlos Villanueva, the Chilean midfielder who scored a goal and setup another in that victory, is keen to keep the good times going against a side who have just a single point from six matches. "We just need to find some consistency and I believe we are getting there gradually," said the former Blackburn Rovers midfielder.
5.05pm, Abu Dhabi Sports
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
EGYPT SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ahmed El Shennawy, Mohamed El Shennawy, Mohamed Abou-Gabal, Mahmoud Abdel Rehem "Genesh"
Defenders: Ahmed Elmohamady, Ahmed Hegazi, Omar Gaber, Ali Gazal, Ayman Ahsraf, Mahmoud Hamdy, Baher Elmohamady, Ahmed Ayman Mansour, Mahmoud Alaa, Ahmed Abou-Elfotouh
Midfielders: Walid Soliman, Abdallah El Said, Mohamed Elneny, Tarek Hamed, Mahmoud “Trezeguet” Hassan, Amr Warda, Nabil Emad
Forwards: Ahmed Ali, Mohamed Salah, Marwan Mohsen, Ahmed "Kouka" Hassan.
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.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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