Having battered Belgium but come away with nothing but reputation enhanced, Canada quickly set about rectifying the matter.
In the very next match, in the very first minute and a bit. Alphonso Davies grabbed it, thumping home a header to atone for his penalty miss against the world's No 2-ranked side.
In the process, he extended one of the most remarkable stories at this Fifa World Cup. From being born in refugee camp to escaping to Canada and eventually a Bundesliga and Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, to now, scorer of his adopted country’s first goal at a global finals.
Could it get any more memorable? Well, it arrived 1:07 minutes into Sunday’s Group F encounter with Croatia, the 2018 runners-up, elevating it to the quickest goal scored this whole week in Qatar.
In fact, it was the second-fastest notched in all the World Cups, second only to Mathias Jorgenson’s 57-second strike for Denmark four years ago. Who against? Yup, Croatia.
But, just like in Russia, the resolute Europeans turned it around. With captain Luka Modric pushed further forward – he conducted from deep in the goalless opener with Morocco – Zlatko Dalic’s side ultimately made their streetwise savvy tell.
Undeterred by Andrej Kamaric’s correctly disallowed effort, ruled out because Marko Livaja had strayed a fraction offside, Croatia hit back.
In a red-and-white chequered, eight-minute whirl before half-time, they scored twice. First, Ivan Perisic conjured a lovely reverse ball to Kamaric, who slotted his left-footed shot from the angle under Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan.
Then Josip Juranovic turned a little luck into a smart pass and the comeback was complete. He slipped in Livaja, who finished brilliantly low beyond Borjan at full stretch. The goal sparked wild celebrations on the Croatia bench, with most directing their jubilation towards their Canadian counterparts.
Maybe that was to be expected: in the post-match huddle against Belgium, Canada coach John Herdman used some choice words when sounding the rallying cry for Croatia.
Clearly, it struck a chord with Dalic and troops; the former Al Ain manager subsequently accused Canada of not respecting his typically respected side. So on Sunday, right after Livaja’s strike, tensions boiled over. Thankfully, they quickly dampened.
Canada, though, weren’t done fighting – figuratively – on the pitch. Right at the beginning of the second half, substitute Jonathan Osorio curled an effort inches past the post.
Soon thereafter, Borjan made an incredible save, denying Livaja a surely certain goal. Ditto Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic from precocious Lille forward Jonathan David.
Morocco 0 Croatia 0 - in pictures
But Croatia’s know-how told. Having weathered the early advance, they crept further ahead. With 20 minutes remaining, Perisic crossed to Kramaric at the back-post and, with one sublime touch to sweep inside his marker, with his next the Croat brushed home the ball. Croatia had their cushion.
They would not relinquish it; indeed, they extended. In additional time, Canada’s Kamal Miller miscontrolled, Croatia’s Mislav Orsic raced away, rolled in Lovro Majer and the result was flecked with a final flourish.
With the 4-1 win, Croatia moved joint top of the group heading into the final match day, while Canada, after successive defeats, will exit once this stage culminates next week.
In a tale as old as World Cup 2022 injury-time, the young upstarts were schooled by wiser heads. At their heart, Modric may be 37, but the Real Madrid maestro remains the integral cog in this battle-hardened machine.
And that’s what could carry this Croatia forward, perhaps not quite as far as four years ago, but deep into the tournament nonetheless. Unlike this hugely promising Canada, bright-eyed and contesting their country’s first World Cup in 36 years, they have been there. And, almost, done it.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Company Profile
Company name: Big Farm Brothers
Started: September 2020
Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur
Based: Dubai Investment Park 1
Industry: food and agriculture
Initial investment: $205,000
Current staff: eight to 10
Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
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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
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Coronavirus in France
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
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SCHEDULE FOR SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - from 4pm (UAE time)
Angelique Kerber (1) v Irina Falconi
Martin Klizan v Novak Djokovic (2)
Alexandr Dolgopolov v Roger Federer (3)
Court One - from 4pm
Milos Raonic (6) v Jan-Lennard Struff
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Evgeniya Rodina
Dominic Thiem (8) v Vasek Pospisil
Court Two - from 2.30pm
Juan Martin Del Potro (29) v Thanasi Kokkinakis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Jelena Jankovic
Jeremy Chardy v Tomas Berdych (11)
Ons Jabeur v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
HOW TO WATCH
Facebook: TheNationalNews
Twitter: @thenationalnews
Instagram: @thenationalnews.com
TikTok: @thenationalnews
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
New schools in Dubai
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The%20specs
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