Fiorentina moved to within one win of their first trophy since 2001 as they beat fellow Serie A side Udinese 2-0 in their Coppa Italia semi-final, second-leg clash on Tuesday to win 3-2 on aggregate.
Goals by captain Manuel Pasqual and Colombian star Juan Cuadrado set up Fiorentina for a final against either Napoli or AS Roma, who play on Wednesday with the side from the capital leading 3-2, and the chance of completing a remarkable revival.
Just 11 years ago their fall from grace looked complete as they languished in the fourth tier as a result of serious financial difficulties before being rescued by brothers Andrea and Diego Della Valle.
Fiorentina, who beat Parma 2-1 on aggregate in the 2001 final with a side that then boasted the quality of Portuguese duo Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes, took just 14 minutes to level the tie on aggregate thanks to a wonderful strike by Pasqual.
Udinese, whose last Cup final appearance dates back to 1922, had several opportunities to score themsevles but Antonio Di Natale sent a good chance high into the stands in the 25th minute while Fiorentina’s goalkeeper Neto saved from him on two occasions.
Di Natale’s run of bad luck was summed up when he saw his 33rd-minute header hit the stanchion of the goal and then come back off the post.
Udinese goalkeeper Simone Scuffet had to be at his best to repel a shot from Spanish forward Joaquin five minutes from the break.
However, for all Udinese’s enterprising play it was the hosts who gained the upper hand in the tie when Cuadrado’s cleanly struck shot crept in under the bar following a counter-attack.
Cuadrado’s joy was tempered by the fact that he will be suspended for the final although Fiorentina will hope to have German international striker Mario Gomez – who was on the bench as he returns from a long-term injury – back to his best.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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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
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.