Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic says his country are now one of the favourites at Euro 2016 after beating Spain and finishing top of Group D.
Kalinic scored the equaliser to cancel out Spain’s early goal before Ivan Perisic grabbed a late winner.
“It was difficult after we fell behind but we showed that we are shoulder to shoulder with the world’s top teams,” Kalinic said. “We are now one of the big favourites of this tournament.”
Having been fined €100,000 (Dh415,304) for crowd trouble caused by their fans in a 2-2 draw against the Czechs, a makeshift Croatian side came from behind against the Spaniards after coach Ante Cacic made five changes to his side.
Kalinic’s confidence may not be misplaced as Croatia’s 20-year-olds Tin Jedvaj and Marko Rog, both of whom were winning only their third caps, showed maturity beyond their years.
Forward Marko Pjaca also shone as he delivered a defence-splitting pass for Perisic’s winner, with injured playmaker Luka Modric, Croatia’s key player, celebrating on the bench.
But Ivan Rakitic, who got the better of his Barcelona teammates featuring for Spain, struck a note of caution.
“Let’s not get carried away,” said the attacking midfielder who added he had “a few things to explain” to his Spanish wife. “We are overjoyed, we will celebrate this win thoroughly but there is no room for complacency.”
Perisic added: “We bounced back after what happened against the Czechs and won the group, but it will mean nothing if we fail now.”
Spain’s players ‘sat in silence’, says Del Bosque
Spain manager Vicente del Bosque concedes a last-16 clash against Italy is not the tie they wanted after their defeat to Croatia.
A late winner from Ivan Perisic sealed a 2-1 comeback victory for the Croatians, who usurped Spain to finish top and leave Del Bosque’s side with a repeat of the Euro 2012 final against Italy in Paris on Monday.
Alvaro Morata’s early goal had given Spain the lead but Nikola Kalinic equalised just before half time.
Spain defender Sergio Ramos saw a penalty saved and Perisic finished passed David de Gea at his near-post to complete a memorable comeback for Ante Cacic’s side.
Spain are now in the same half of the Euro 2016 draw as Italy, Germany, France and England and Del Bosque conceded facing Italy so early on was not on his agenda.
Greg Lea: Defeat to Croatia could cost Spain dearly, but Group D encounter justified hype
“It’s a game it looked like we had under control,” he said. “We will try and recover as well as possible from this setback and be in as good condition as possible on Monday.
“Even today we didn’t play badly but this is the result and we need to prepare to play against Italy.
“The players were sat in silence. They don’t enjoy losing.
“I’m not going to defend our performance excessively but I think we played quite well. It was just one slip of concentration at the end.
“I don’t have any complaints about the players. We have time to analyse what the game against Italy means.
“We’re still in the competition, we are not on the path we wanted to be but we have to rise to the situation.”
Everything appeared to be going to plan for Spain, who had not lost a European Championship game since 2004, when Morata stole in to tap home Cesc Fabregas’s seventh-minute cross.
But Kalinic flicked home a near-post cross before the break to level the game and things continued to go Croatia’s way when Danijel Subasic kept out Ramos’s penalty after David Silva had been fouled.
And it was Croatia who ended the night as group winners as Kalinic found Perisic, whose low drive beat De Gea.
Croatia manager Cacic made five changes ahead of the game and was pleased with the way his players refused to be overawed by the Spanish but knows topping the group does not guarantee an easy last-16 tie.
“The key to the game is that we did not lose faith and confidence,” he said. “We were fresher than the Spanish in the second half. We kept hope in our chances against a great team.
“It’s an important victory because it is against the reigning champions and it paves the way more than if we finished in second place. But that is only on paper.”
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
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Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
THE SPECS
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Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
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
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
When December 14-17
WITHIN%20SAND
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Moe%20Alatawi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Ra%E2%80%99ed%20Alshammari%2C%20Adwa%20Fahd%2C%20Muhand%20Alsaleh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
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Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
