BLACKBURN // Jason Roberts returned to the Rovers ranks after recovering from swine flu and left Portsmouth feeling sick. The striker was brought on as a second-half substitute and within nine minutes he had cancelled out Jamie O'Hara's opening goal for Pompey. And with 18 minutes left, Rovers' own recovery was complete when the captain Ryan Nelsen headed home the second before Roberts scored his second with four minutes remaining.
The afternoon began with the tune from the Great Escape ringing out around Ewood Park, the Ports-mouth fans being heartened by their team's recent form. Particularly significant was their form against clubs expected to be in a similar position next May. Seven points have come against Wolverhampton, Hull and then Wigan in last weekend's 4-0 home victory. Confidence is slowly being restored and Rovers saw evidence of that in the first half yesterday.
Blackburn were shackled, unable to find any fluency in their play, and then shaken when Portsmouth took the lead in the 16th minute. There seemed little threat when a throw came in from the right and Aruna Dindane touched to O'Hara 25 yards out. The midfielder, who is on loan from Tottenham, took a touch before driving in a low shot that crept into the corner of the net. It was his first Premier League goal in almost a year when he scored for Spurs at West Ham.
Paul Robinson, the Rovers goal keeper, was furious with his defence for not closing down quickly enough. That was a criticism that could not be levelled at the opposition as Paul Hart's side foraged and fought for every challenge.O'Hara epitomised that. He was determined and driven and fortunate not to be on the receiving end of a knockout blow from Pascal Chimbonda after harassing him for the ball on Rovers' right.
As they tangled, Chimbonda threw a punch at O'Hara. The referee, Andre Marriner, surprisingly cautioned both. O'Hara had quality to go with his courage, though, whipping in a dangerous 38th-minute free kick from the right that needed a crucial diving header from Brett Emerton to divert the ball out for a corner. Sam Allardyce, the Blackburn manager, could not ignore the jeers from the home followers at the break and showed his ruthlessness by hauling off Morten Gamst Pedersen and El-Hadji Diouf. In their places came Roberts and Benni McCarthy.
Suddenly, Rovers had the attacking presence they had desperately lacked and David Dunn forced David James into his first save with a low effort three minutes after the restart. After Younes Kaboul steered a header meekly over from another well-executed O'Hara free kick, the home side stepped up the pressure. It took a timely header from Frederic Piquionne to clear a Dunn free kick for a corner. But when the Rovers midfielder crossed from the subsequent set-piece, it resulted in the 54th-minute equaliser.
Nelsen rose well to knock down a header for Roberts, who turned quickly and cleverly to flick the ball home. Blackburn, who had lost just one of their last 11 home games had been revived and the momentum shifted in their favour. Roberts bullied his way into the box to create another chance, but his strike lacked the power to trouble James. Portsmouth still posed a threat, especially through O'Hara's invention, but with Dindane having to go off, his side were missing a cutting edge.
O'Hara did almost cause Robinson some embarrassment with another 25-yard effort on the wet surface. The former England No1 was grateful to gather when it nearly squeezed through between his legs. But it was Blackburn who took control. Nelsen was unmarked in the 73rd minute to meet a Dunn corner and powered in a header for only his second goal for the club. Roberts then poked in a McCarthy cross at the near-post for his second four minutes from time.
@Email:akhan@thenational.ae
Our commentary on Brexit
- Alistair Burt: Despite Brexit, Britain can remain a world power
- Con Coughlin: Choice of the British people will be vindicated
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Rating: 4/5
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Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
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The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
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- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
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yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Our commentary on Brexit
- Con Coughlin: Choice of the British people will be vindicated
- Sam Williams: Departure is influenced by its sense of place
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
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Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
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Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
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Employees: Nine
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How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
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The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2007: Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla and Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2012: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2013: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
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Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
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Company info
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
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Our legal consultant
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
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Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Pakhtoons 137-6 (10 ov)
Fletcher 68 not out; Cutting 2-14
Sindhis 129-8 (10 ov)
Perera 47; Sohail 2-18
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Brief scores:
Manchester City 2
Gundogan 27', De Bruyne 85'
Crystal Palace 3
Schlupp 33', Townsend 35', Milivojevic 51' (pen)
Man of the Match: Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace)
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
