Haidar Alo Ali may not have been too impressed with the narrow margin of Al Wahda's 1-0 win over Al Nasr on Sunday night, but the defender does not care as long as his team can keep getting three points and stay on Al Jazira's tail. Fernando Baiano's 10th goal of the season had given Wahda a 32nd-minute lead in the game played in Ajman, but following that they toiled in front of goal.
Nasr had been ordered to play two home matches behind closed doors at neutral venues after fans threw bottles and sandals at the match officials in a game against Al Ahli. Ali believes the victory, which moves them back to within two points of the leaders Jazira as the season reaches the halfway point, should have been more comfortable. "Yes, we could have won by a better margin," he said. "We created plenty of opportunities and were the better team. But at this stage of this season, all that matters is three points. It doesn't matter how many goals we score as long we can keep winning and stay close to Jazira."
The UAE international believes that Wahda are improving by the game and will only get better as the championship battle continues. "We are blending better than at the start of season and there is a better understanding between the key players now, he said." Ali is confident that Wahda's strikers will give his team the edge, adding: "Ismail Matar is rediscovering his form after returning from injury and that is really crucial from the team's perspective. He is a key player and played a big part in Baiano's goal with a first-touch.
"Baiano, of course, is class. He is really sharp inside the box and rarely misses any opportunity. So, overall, I think we have a good opportunity of upstaging Jazira at some point." @Email:arizvi@thenational.ae
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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● Company: Bidzi
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Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.
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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
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Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
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Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
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Three stars
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Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
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Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
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Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
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1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
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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.