Eight in a row for Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Mallorca.
Eight in a row for Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring against Mallorca.

European football round-up: Bayern Munich lose 100% record



SPAIN

Atletico Madrid kept up the pressure on Barcelona at the top of the Primera Liga with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Osasuna at the Vicente Calderón.

Two goals in four minutes just after the half-hour mark from Miranda and Raul Garcia had Diego Simeone's men in a commanding position, but Roland Lamah reduced the arrears just before half-time with a curling effort from outside the area.

However, Radamel Falcao made it 17 in his past 11 games for club and country 17 minutes from time with a controlled volley from Juanfran's cross.

Atletic have now won 12 games in a row in all competitions and moved level with Barca on 25 from a possible 27 points at the top.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored for the eighth successive match as Real Madrid moved into fourth place after coasting to a 5-0 victory in Mallorca.

The champions' star man may have felt sad in the capital at the start of the season but he continues to show his importance to Madrid as he struck twice and set up the second of Gonzalo Higuain's brace.

Poor Mallorca defending ensured they were quickly on course for victory as Higuain opened the scoring after eight minutes before Ronaldo continued his hot streak with 22 minutes gone.

The Portuguese then set up Higuain on 70 minutes to make the game safe before stabbing home his side's fourth moments later.

Substitute Jose Maria Callejon added further gloss to the score line when he tapped home in stoppage time.

Levante secured their fourth consecutive win in all competitions as a brace from Obafemi Martins and a goal from Pedro Rios downed Granada 3-1.

The Nigerian striker took advantage of some hesitant defending by Granada's Inigo Lopez to turn and fire low into the bottom corner on 12 minutes.

After a bright start to the second period, the ex-Newcastle forward doubled his tally thanks to more poor defending by the visitors, burrowing his way into the box to slip a shot underneath Tono.

Rios continued his own goal scoring run by notching his third goal in four days with a neat finish 17 minutes from time, before Youssef El-Arabi grabbed a consolation for the visitors with his third goal in as many games.

Antonio Juan Rodriguez and Alvaro Vázquez were both on-target to help Getafe to a 2-1 victory that extended Athletic Bilbao's wretched start to the season.

Juan Rodriguez broke the deadlock with an 11th-minute header and Vázquez put the visitors firmly en route to three points with a close-range finish just before the hour mark.

Mikel San Jose halved the deficit in added-on time but his strike came too late for Bilbao to push for an equaliser.

Elsewhere, Real Zaragoza claimed only their second home win of the season, beating Sevilla 2-1 thanks to two goals in 10 first-half minutes from Helder Postiga and Cristian Sapunaru.

ITALY

A solitary strike from Marek Hamsik returned Napoli to second spot in Serie A, but the Partenopei made hard work of beating 10-man Chievo.

Lorenzo Insigne and Goran Pandev struggled to take up absent Edson Cavani's Uruguayan's mantle before Slovakian playmaker Hamsik fired the only goal of the game to keep the Campanians within three points of Juventus.

Inter had moved into second place thanks to a 3-1 victory at Bologna.

Andrea Ranocchia gave the visitors the lead in the 27th minute before Diego Milito added a second just after the half-time break.

Nicolo Cherubin replied immediately, but Esteban Cambiasso scored his first goal of the season minutes later to seal Inter's fifth consecutive win.

Udinese turned the tables on Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, recovering from going two goals down by picking up a valuable three points with of a 3-2 victory.

Two goals in two minutes from Erik Lamela appeared to have put the Giallorossi on the way to victory before Udinese hit back at them.

Maurizio Domizzi pulled a goal back before half-time and Antonio Di Natale brought them level early in the second half.

Di Natale then scored the winner from the penalty spot and Panagiotis Tachtsidis completed Roma's self-destruction by earning a red card in stoppage time.

Juventus had Arturo Vidal's second half goal and some controversial refereeing decisions to thank as they edged out Catania 1-0.

After the hosts had a goal disallowed in the 25th minute, and the Sicilians' owner and president Antonio Pulvirenti was sent away from the bench, the home side struggled to maintain a level head and Juve took advantage.

Catania's afternoon was then compounded as they ended the game with 10 men after Giuseppe Marchese was sent off.

Fiorentina needed two wonder goals to see off nine-man Lazio 2-0 this afternoon in a game riddled with controversial refereeing decisions.

Adem Ljajic drove a rocket into Albano Bizzarri's net after referee Mauro Bergonzi had bizarrely ruled out his tap-in following Mati Fernandez's saved penalty.

Lazio rallied after the interval, but grew frustrated when Stefano Mauri's goal was ruled out for a contentious offside, with both Cristian Ledesma and Hernanes sent to the changing rooms as tempers began to fray.

Vincenzo Montella's men had kept their cool, though, and veteran striker Luca Toni rubber-stamped all three points with a ferocious strike at the death.

Fiorentina's victory sees them climb into fifth place in the league table, halving the six-point advantage of the capital club, who slip to fourth.

Parma registered their first away victory of the season by means of a 3-1 triumph at 10-man Torino, while Daniele Dessena scored the only goal of the game as Cagliari claimed their third successive 1-0 win away to Sampdoria.

Elsewhere, Atalanta overcame the dismissal of Federico Peluso to hold off the challenge of Pescara in a goalless contest at the Stadio Adriatico.

FRANCE

Gilles Sunu struck in the dying seconds as Lorient overturned a three-goal deficit to grab a thrilling 4-4 draw at home to Ajaccio.

The visitors looked to have wrapped up the points at half-time thanks to Chahir Belghazouani, Adrian Mutu and an Eduardo Dos Santos double, with Wesley Lautoa's effort looking decidedly lonely for Lorient.

However, Jeremie Aliadiere sparked the second-half fightback with a brace of his own before Sunu's goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time sealed an unlikely point.

Florian Thauvin scored a double as Bastia beat Bordeaux 3-1 to inflict a first Ligue 1 defeat in over six months on Francis Gillot's men.

The 19-year-old Thauvin stunned Les Girondins with two quick-fire goals in the opening 17 minutes, Yoan Gouffran managing to respond just before the break.

But when Wahbi Khazri doubled the Corsicans' lead once again with a well-taken free kick, Bordeaux had no answer and duly lost their first league outing since April.

Marseille's home match against Lyon was postponed due to high winds.

A meeting at the Stade Velodrome during the afternoon saw officials reach the decision. No new date has been set for the fixture.

GERMANY

Bayern Munich have lost their 100% record in the Bundesliga after at 2-1 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen.

An 87th-minute own goal from Germany centre-half Jerome Boateng stunned the league leaders after they had earlier pegged back the visitors.

Mario Mandzukic had cancelled out Stefan Kiessling's first-half opener with 13 minutes left but there was still time for Boateng to deflect substitute Sidney Sam's header into his own net.

Bayern's defeat leaves them four points ahead of second-placed Schalke.

Eintracht Frankfurt could have moved back above Schalke but the were on the receiving end of Stuttgart's first home league win.

Vedad Ibisevic scored his side's winner for the second successive league game six minutes from the end. Alexander Meier had levelled for Frankfurt on 67 minutes after Christian Gentner's sixth-minute opener.

Borussia Monchengladbach scored three late goals to complete a memorable comeback and win 3-2 at Hannover.

The hosts were 2-0 up thanks to goals from Jan Schlaudraff (48) and Mame Diouf (53) but imploded in 10 second-half minutes.

Alvaro Dominguez (70) and Roel Brouwers (77) quickly drew Monchengladbach level before Juan Arango won it with 11 minutes left.

HOLLAND

FC Twente are a point clear of PSV at the top of the Eredivisie table after sealing a 1-0 win at RKC.

Dusan Tadic scored the only goal of the game five minutes before the break as Steve McClaren's side notched up their eighth league victory of the campaign.

PSV remain in the hunt after a 2-1 triumph at PEC Zwolle, with Joey van der Berg scoring at both ends.

The defender gave the home side the lead after 54 minutes but the scores were level with 15 minutes left through defender Timothy Derijck and the game was won four minutes later after van der Berg put the ball in his own net.

Ajax, fresh from a midweek victory over Manchester City, could only draw 2-2 with Feyenoord after conceding a last-gasp equaliser.

Christian Eriksen gave Ajax a 12th minute lead, but Jean Boetius levelled for Feyenoord nine minutes later.

The Amsterdam club were ahead once again three minutes into the second half through Siem de Jong, but found themselves down to 10 men after 75 minutes following centre half Niklas Moisander's red card.

And Ajax were made to pay as the home side snatched a point in stoppage time through Graziano Pelle.

Ninos Gouriye hit a hat-trick to lead Heracles to a 6-3 win over Heerenveen.

The visitors went in front after four minutes thanks to Filip Djuricic, but were pegged back by Gouriye after 17 minutes.

Samuel Armenteros put the home side in front before Everton extended their advantage.

Gouriye notched his second after 57 minutes, with Alfred Finnbogason scoring Heracles' second, before Gouriye completed his treble midway through the second half.

Finnbogason made it 5-3 10 minutes from time, but Thomas Bruns was to end the scoring in stoppage time.

Vitesse Arnhem's title aspirations took a blow as Johann Berg Gudmundsson netted an 88th-minute winner as AZ emerged with a 2-1 victory at the Gelredome.

Roy Beerens' strike six minutes before the break put the visitors one ahead at the interval before Marco van Ginkel brought his side level after 72 minutes.

However Gudmundsson was on hand in the 88th minute to give his mid-table side the win against third-placed Vitesse.

PORTUGAL

Porto rejoined Benfica at the top of the Portuguese Liga table with a 2-1 win at Estoril.

The champions had to come from behind as goals from Silvestre Varela and Jackson Martinez in the space of four second-half minutes decided matters.

Steven Vitoria gave Estoril the lead after nine minutes but, when Varela equalised on 57 minutes, Martinez's winner arrived moments later.

Third-placed Braga remained three points off the top as they won 2-0 at 10-man Maritimo.

Portugal striker Eder scored both goals, on 55 and 86 minutes, before Romain Salin saw red a minute from the end.

Rio Ave battled back from going behind to Barcelos' 36th-minute goal to win 2-1 at home to Nacional.

The match turned on Manuel da Costa's 58th-minute dismissal as Joao Tomas then converted a penalty before Ricardo Tarantini won it in the 89th minute.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
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
Price: From Dh801,800
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
Predictions

Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:

  • Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
  • Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
  • Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
  • Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
  • Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai

Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore

Dubai World Cup Carnival card

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m

7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m

7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m

8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m

9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m

10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m

The National selections:

6.30pm - Ziyadd; 7.05pm - Barney Roy; 7.40pm - Dee Ex Bee; 8.15pm - Dubai Legacy; 8.50pm - Good Fortune; 9.25pm - Drafted; 10pm - Simsir

Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

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
Famous left-handers

- Marie Curie

- Jimi Hendrix

- Leonardo Di Vinci

- David Bowie

- Paul McCartney

- Albert Einstein

- Jack the Ripper

- Barack Obama

- Helen Keller

- Joan of Arc

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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 five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5