In his last three matches in the Uefa Champions League, Mehdi Taremi has struck five goals. He also set up both Porto’s goals in the victory over Bayer Leverkusen immediately before that hot streak.
Without Taremi’s contributions, above all his opener in the tense 2-1 victory in the final group game against Atletico Madrid, his club would not have reached the knockout round of what is regarded as club football’s most elevated competition.
Safe to report, then, that Iran’s Taremi reported for duty for the World Cup in very fine form.
Harry Maguire, meanwhile, played his last Champions League game in March, a tense defeat to Atletico that had swung away from Manchester United when Joao Felix sneaked ahead of the defender to establish an early lead in the tie.
This season, United are not in the Champions League at all. As for the Premier League, Maguire has slipped down the pecking order, making United’s starting XI for just four league games, and more often on the bench when he has been available.
Yet there is every probability that Maguire will be among the central defenders tasked with marshalling the lively Taremi when England and Iran meet at the Khalifa International Stadium on Sunday, the nation ranked fifth in the world by Fifa against the one ranked 20th.
Form argues against Maguire’s selection, given the range of alternatives available to manager Gareth Southgate, but there is a loyalty felt by the England manager for the 29-year-old.
Maguire is valued for his leadership, his impact at set pieces in both penalty areas, among other qualities. He has a special Three Lions status, as much a symbol of Southgate’s time in charge as the manager’s waistcoats used to be.
Southgate’s tenure is now into its seventh year, a period of enough success to earn the coach the same sort of trust from a demanding English public as he places in a select number of senior players even when their form dips.
At the last World Cup, Maguire, who had one competitive cap when the tournament began, galvanised England’s progress to the semi-final. He began last year’s European Championship suffering an ankle injury but, once recovered, was returned to the XI for England's advance to the final, a best-ever showing in that competition.
That record makes Southgate, who started in the role as a caretaker, the highest-achieving England manager since the country won their only World Cup, at home in 1966.
So much for the positives. They are glittering highlights in danger of fading further and further back in the rear-view mirror. Southgate is also the England manager who oversaw relegation in the Uefa Nations League, the consequence of an alarming slump.
England have not won a competitive match for a year; their six Nations League games yielded three points from a possible 18. They have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight matches. They lost 4-0 at home to Hungary in June, a humiliation Maguire at least was largely spared because it was the only Nations League fixture he did not start.
It all leaves England with a dark cloud of poor team form to carry into a hot, sun-beaten first challenge in Doha. Matters of individual form create their own heat around Southgate, under more sustained criticism for his perceived tactical caution as he has ever been.
He cited “a poor run of form at the wrong time” for leaving Tammy Abraham, the Roma striker, out of his squad; yet his belief in the know-how, the pedigree and experience of the likes of Maguire and Raheem Sterling – one Chelsea goal since mid-September – overrides short-term concerns, and counts for more than a tally of minutes on the pitch or freshly impressive finishing statistics.
And, like most coaches embarking on the unique tournament conditions of Qatar 2022, where the weather will not always recommend woollen waistcoats and preparation time has been squeezed, Southgate cannot rely on the usual calculus of how much, or how little, recent form matters.
The majority of his players come from the Premier League, generally regarded as the most physically demanding of elite domestic leagues, which only paused to make space for the World Cup eight days ago. For that, says Southgate, “we’ve got to adapt better than everybody else”.
Some of his peers may disagree. France and Senegal are adapting to fresh bad news, having waved goodbye, because of injury, to Karim Benzema, holder of the Ballon d’Or, and Sadio Mane, African Footballer of the Year, marquee strikers.
Southgate has his world-class goalscorer, Harry Kane, fit and aiming to match his Golden Boot from the last World Cup, albeit that Kane’s Tottenham Hotspur manager, Antonio Conte observes Kane has been “exhausted” lately.
Fatigued or not, Kane will take on what is likely to be a deep-set, well-drilled Iran defence with 15 goals from his last 19 Spurs games. That’s enviable form from the England player Iran must fear most.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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RESULTS
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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.
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.
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
RIDE%20ON
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
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Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
Result
Crystal Palace 0 Manchester City 2
Man City: Jesus (39), David Silva (41)
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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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105