Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed his side's character as they ground out a 1-0 win away to Malaga on Saturday to maintain their three-point lead at the top of Primera Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner midway through the first-half, but Los Blancos were forced to hang on in the final stages as Malaga pressed hard for an equaliser.
“You can’t always win 2-0 or 3-0. I am happy because the team showed solidity, a good attitude, worked together and knew how to suffer,” said the Italian.
“I don’t think it was our worst game in recent times. As I said, our play wasn’t spectacular, but we made up for that with other things.
“We had chances to kill off the game, we failed with the final pass a lot of times. It was a normal game against a team with a lot of desire as all the teams have at this time of the season.
“We need to value how well Malaga played too. They worked very hard and pressed well.”
The victory sets Real up nicely for next weekend’s visit of Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Ancelotti’s men currently lead Barca by seven points, although the Catalans can cut that gap back to four points with a win at home to Osasuna on Sunday.
And despite not being at their best at La Rosaleda, Ancelotti believes his side are ready for the challenge posed by the Spanish champions.
“I am happy because at this time of the season all the games are important. To win here wasn’t easy and we have managed to do it.
“There are games when you have to show other qualities. I think we are ready for the Clasico.”
Defeat for Malaga leaves them still just three points above the relegation zone amongst a group of four teams on 29 points.
Their boss Bernd Schuster believed his side deserved more out of the game, but is hopeful they can take encouragement from their performance into the last 10 games of the campaign.
“We deserved a happier ending because we matched them.
“Against the top teams we just lack that final play to score a goal, but we showed heart.
“We need to overcome the quality of the opponent with our fight and we will keep going until the end.”
sports@thenational.ae
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More on Quran memorisation:
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Read more about the coronavirus
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
