Defending champions Juventus maintained their narrow advantage over Roma at the top of Serie A with a 3-0 win at Atalanta on Saturday evening.
Argentine striker Carlos Tevez was the inspiration for Max Allegri’s men as he struck either side of half-time to move top of the scoring charts in Italy with his third and fourth goals of the campaign as Juve responded to Roma’s 2-0 win against Verona earlier in the day.
Alvaro Morata headed home a late third with seven minutes left of a match that hinged on a missed penalty by the hosts with the score at 1-0.
“It’s a great victory because Roma had won and we were in a position where we had to win which is not easy,” said Allegri.
Both Juventus and Roma, the favourites for the title, improved their record to five wins from five, with a two-goal advantage keeping the Turin club top on goal difference.
Juventus are away to Spanish champions Atletico Madrid in Champions League action on Wednesday while Roma travel to Manchester City 24 hours earlier.
The leading duo then meet in a top-of-the-table clash at the Juventus Stadium next Sunday.
Tevez, who was left out of the Argentina squad for upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Hong Kong by new coach Gerardo Martino, again showed the class that made him a three-time South American player of the year.
A close-range finish put the visitors in front on 35 minutes before the turning point of the match on the hour mark.
Giorgio Chiellini gave away a penalty and a golden chance for Atalanta to equalise but Gianluigi Buffon easily saved German Denis’ weak low spot-kick to maintain his record of not having let in a goal this season.
From Buffon’s clearance, Juventus marched down the pitch allowing former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra to set up Tevez, who drove a low shot inside the post from just outside the box.
“The difference between Buffon and the other goalkeepers is that he always knows how to be decisive. At the end, that is the difference between great champions and average players,” added Allegri.
Earlier, Rudi Garcia’s men also made it five wins on the trot, but were pushed all the way by Verona before Italian international Alessandro Florenzi struck a sweet opener with 15 minutes remaining.
Mattia Destro then fired home a looping shot from just inside the Verona half, a spectacular effort that sent the away side to their first defeat of the season after opening with two wins and two draws.
It was also the perfect result for Francesco Totti, the Roma legend who has scored 235 goals in 21 seasons for the club, and celebrated his 38th birthday on Saturday.
“We did well to be patient and, in big matches like this, it is important to start well which is what we did,” said Garcia.
“We needed to get more shots on target but I told them at half-time to be more efficient and wait for the right moments.
“When you have more than 20 shots, sooner or later you will score and we got the win thanks to big goals from Florenzi and Destro,” added the Frenchman.
Verona, the champions in 1985, remain sixth, but are now seven points behind Juventus and Roma.
Destro’s effort was especially pleasing for Garcia.
“There was class and instinct to Destro’s goal. Immediately after he controlled the ball with his chest, he let go with a long shot and it was the skill of a pure striker,” said the former Lille coach.
There will be six matches on Sunday, including fourth-placed Inter Milan at home to rock bottom Cagliari, while Udinese, who came into the weekend in third spot, are not in action until Monday when they host Parma.
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
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.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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