Toninho Cerezo was left in no doubt about the size of the task he will face in his new role as Al Ain manager after seeing his side crumble to a 3-1 defeat against Al Wasl.
The Brazilian watched from the stands as the caretaker coach Rasheed Ibrahim took charge, and he acknowledged that there was a lot of work to be done if his new team are to be challenging for the title in May.
"We have a lot of matches to play and still stand a chance to win the league," the former Al Shabab coach said.
"We will watch the replays of this game and see where we need to improve. There were also some players like Jorge Valdivia absent because of injury, and the midfield was a bit shaky without him."
Al Ain fired Winfried Schaefer after two years in charge, following two defeats in two weeks which left them faltering in the Pro League and out of the President's Cup. But the removal of the German failed to spark an improvement against Wasl, who claimed their third victory in a row.
Shehab Ahmed put Al Ain ahead in the 22nd minute with a dipping free-kick from the right flank, but that was as good as it got for them as Wasl levelled on the stroke of half-time through Isam Darwish from 30 yards.
Marcio Emerson was unfortunate to see his effort from the edge of the box crash against the woodwork early in the second half for Al Ain, and Wasl went in front for the first time with 20 minutes to go through the Brazilian Alexandre Oliveira before Darwish added his second with five minutes to go to wrap up the game.
Al Ain are fourth in the league, eight points behind the leaders Al Jazira. Team administrator Majid al Owais admitted the team's display had been poor against Wasl.
"We made a lot of mistakes in this game," he said. "We didn't pass the ball well; the midfield and the defence didn't play well. It was a pressure game but we will come back."
apassela@thenational.ae
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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