The second half of the Adnoc Pro League suggests any of the top six teams to go on and win the title.
Shabab Al Ahli head the table on 29 points, one point ahead of Sharjah followed by Al Wahda (27), with Al Wasl and Al Jazira (26 each), and defending champions Al Ain on 25.
Team of the week: Al Wasl
If not for an unfortunate handball from Wasl’s Moroccan centre-back Soufiane Bouftini in added time, the Dubai club would have claimed a sensational win over Wahda at Al Nahyan Stadium on Saturday.
Wahda took the lead in the ninth minute through Argentine forward Facundo Kruspzky, only for Fabio de Lima to equalise for the visitors five minutes into the second half.
Joao Pedero then regained the lead for the home side just past the hour, before a dramatic turn of events saw Wasl strike twice within two minutes. De Lima grabbed his second with a brilliant header and Tomas Chancalay fired in a bullet for a 3-2 lead with nine minutes left.
When it looked like Wasl had done enough to earn a victory, misfortune struck. Bouftini and Sebastian Tagliabue both went up for a high ball inside the penalty area and the Wasl defender's outstretched hand touched the ball. Wahda forward Tagliabue stepped forward to convert the penalty for a 3-3 draw.
Player of the week: Fabio de Lima (Wasl)
Having struck the initial equaliser, De Lima doubled his tally to level the score at 2-2 with a brilliant header. The Brazilian made a perfect run to head a long ball from Geronimo Poblete to the left corner of the net and beyond the reach of Wahda goalkeeper Mohamed Al Shamsi.
Manager of the week: Juan Antonio (Wasl)
Wasl grabbed the spotlight of Round 14 in a 3-3 thriller against Wahda to stay on course to challenge for the league title. Their Argentine manager deserves plenty of credit for his team's standout performance.
Shock result: Al Bataeh 2 Kalba 2
Kalba surrendered a 2-0 lead in the last six minutes after Abdulaziz Hamad's clumsy tackle conceded an injury time penalty to Al Bataeh, who salvaged a 2-2 draw. The Kalba defender brought down Sekou Baba with a rugby tackle from behind, prompting the referee to show him a direct red.
Player to watch in second half of season: Kodjo Laba (Al Ain)
The Togolese forward moved to the top of the league scoring charts with a brace against Ajman and remains the danger man for the opposing teams. Laba's 16 goals is one more than Jazira striker Ali Mabkhout.
Biggest disappointment: Ajman
Goran Tufegdzic’s men have had a good first half of the season and sit mid-table, so the manner of the 5-1 away defeat to Al Ain, which saw the Garden City club climb above them in the standings, was a setback.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
SPECS
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
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.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
