ABU DHABI // The Pro League champions Al Ahli were dumped out of the Club World Cup by Oceania kings Auckland City last night by goals from Adam Dickinson and an unstoppable 25-yarder from Chad Coombes, leaving 14,856 fans - barring a handful of joyful New Zealanders - to traipse out of the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium wondering "what if".
Missing first-choice forwards Ismael al Hammadi and the Khalil brothers Ahmed and Faisal, the Dubai club appeared over-burdened by the weight of expectation which filled the ground. Not even the pre-match news that Brazilian striker Bare and Egyptian playmaker Hosny Abd Rabo had been declared fit served to galvanise the hosts, as they went down 2-0.
Ahli had started the game well. Ali Abbas had the first shot of tournament, but the holding midfielder's scuffed effort, however, sailed well over Auckland goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley's crossbar.
With veteran Auckland centre-half Ivan Vicelich cutting an imposing figure in keeping Bare at bay, Al Ahli's gangly Abbas was impressive in the middle. He broke up numerous Auckland attacks and got forward well. But his teammates' inability to find a telling final ball left him, and Bare in particular, frustrated. Meanwhile Vicelich, the Brazilian's shepherd, remained relatively untroubled.
Auckland had their first chance with less than quarter of an hour gone. Bader Yaqoot up-ended Matt Williams 25 yards out, and with a chorus of boos greeting Coombes's run up, the midfielder's tame effort cannoned harmlessly off the Ahli wall.
The English striker Dickinson, who used to ply his trade in the reserve team of Tranmere Rovers who compete in the lower rungs of England's Football League, then offered a glimpse of the things to come, finding acres of space in the Ahli box. But keeper Yousef Abdalla got down well and blocked the 23-year-old forward's shot with his legs.
Ahli, their coach Mahdi Ali barking orders from the touchline, heeded the warning and responded well. Abbas headed a corner over the bar before Hassan Ali chested down a long punt forward, turned on to his right foot and fired in a blistering half-volley.
As Spoonley scrambled left, the ball sizzled just wide of the right-hand upright. Proceedings were beginning to bubble.
Then winger Jason Hayne - the beneficiary of Auckland's decision to switch from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 just before kick-off - fired wide from the edge of the box. Bare wanted in on the action and got his first sight of goal, firing a left-footed effort agonisingly over.
The Auckland enforcer Adam McGeorge was then booked for a needless lunge, bringing Ahli a free-kick 35 yards out. Hosny back-heeled to Yousef Jaber, but the defender's shot flashed well wide. It was as close Ahli would come before Auckland got off the mark.
The impressive Hayne broke down the right and fizzed in a perfect cross which Dickinson, arriving at the back-post, shinned into the roof of the net. The Ahli heads - to a man - visibly fell, and Coombes was booked as Auckland celebrated. He would forget his yellow card in due course.
But just seconds later, on the stroke of half-time, Ahli were handed a reprieve. Bare beat two men and forced Spoonley into a flying save. However, with the keeper stranded, captain Salem Khamis wastefully fired over an open goal.
Coach Ali altered his formation at half-time, bringing on forward Mohammed Rashid for the booked Ali Hussein. Iranian midfielder Mehrzad Madanchi entered next as Ahli desperately tried to mix things up.
But it was the energetic Dickinson and Hayne, a livewire on the right wing, who continued to inflict the damage. Until Coombes had his say.
The 26-year old, who played in Auckland's last - and winless - Club World Cup appearance in 2006, picked up the ball 25 yards out and unleashed an unstoppable shot with his left foot into the top-right corner.
Coombes, who would normally have played up front, was filling in at right-back after James Pritchett pulled a hamstring in training on Tuesday night.
Auckland were on the road to victory now and, able to sit back and play on the counter, the relentless Ahli forwards poured towards goal.
Madanchi fired wide late on, but ultimately, the brightest thing Ahli had to show for their endeavour, were the striking yellow boots of right-back Khalid Mohammed. Spoonley remained largely untested, as Ahli's opening - and only - Club World Cup match ended in embarrassing defeat to the Kiwi amateurs.
The reward for Auckland, a clash with Mexican side Atlante on Saturday, with the Spanish giants Barcelona awaiting the winners.
emegson@thenational.ae
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Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
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WITHIN%20SAND
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RIDE%20ON
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
