DUBAI // Hugo Viana said Al Wasl would "fight" to end this season with silverware, as the club prepared to kick off their President's Cup campaign on Friday night.
The Dubai club were one of the Arabian Gulf League's most consistent sides during the second half of 2014/15, losing once in their final 11 matches – Sunday's season-concluding 4-2 defeat to Al Jazira – to finish sixth in the table.
Wasl have excelled under coach Gabriel Calderon, who replaced Jorginho in October, with the Argentine seeking to continue that run with an extended challenge in the President’s Cup.
Calderon takes Wasl to Baniyas, his former club, for the last-16 encounter on Friday, a match Viana warned will prove a tough test.
“It’s one game, anything can happen,” the Portuguese midfielder said.
“We’re not thinking about anything other than winning. We want to win every game to reach the final, but we have to respect all the teams because, like Al Wasl, they want to win also. So we are ready to fight.”
Wasl have been prolific in attack, registering 53 goals to be third on the scoring chart.
They have, though, had problems at the back, conceding 45 times to make them the second most breached defence in the league’s top eight clubs behind Jazira.
Viana said Wasl must improve in that area if they are to contest for major titles next season and believes Calderon is the right man to lead that quest.
“The coach did a very good job in the league,” the former Newcastle United and Valencia player said.
“When he arrived we weren’t in good position. To finish where we did was good for Wasl, especially if you compare to last season – they finished in 12th place. This season we were fighting for fourth.
“All the players did a very good job in the second round of the league. We have to be happy with our work, but we also have to criticise ourselves.
“The players have to do more, we have to be better, and, at the end of the season, the first idea we can take is we have to be more concentrated.
“In the end, we lost points very easily, so we have to be more concentrated and do a very good job in the next season.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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pakistan Test squad
Azhar Ali (capt), Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Haris Sohail, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Abbas, Yasir Shah, Usman Shinwari
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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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.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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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.
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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