The 90th minute. This is supposed to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s zone, his particular time-frame for heroics. Witness the end of March in Belgrade, when he seemed to have pulled off the sort of late points-grab that has been a feature of his turbulent 2021.
That night, his Portugal had been hauled back in a World Cup qualifier by Serbia, from 2-0 up at half-time to 2-2. Into stoppage time, with 90 minutes on the clock, Ronaldo lifted an angled shot over the goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic and gave it just enough heft to cross an unguarded goalline.
The Serbian defender Stefan Mitrovic chased the effort, stretched out a leg and cleared the ball, but television pictures showed his rescue had failed by centimetres. Alas, there was no VAR nor goal-line technology in use in Belgrade. No goal was given. Ronaldo was livid, and stormed off the pitch.
Last Sunday night, he left the next chapter of Portugal versus Serbia in a similar mood. In Lisbon, in the last qualifying group game of qualification, Serbia had again come from behind, equalising an early Renato Sanches goal. Portugal needed only to draw to stay ahead of the Serbs at the top of the group and confirm their place at Qatar 2022. But there was to be a 90th minute winner. This time it was allowed to stand, the scorer deemed just onside when he headed in.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, Serbia’s all-time record marksman, had stolen the show, borrowed Ronaldo’s copyright on having the last word, and his goal could yet have devastating consequences for Ronaldo and arguably the most gifted cohort of Portuguese players in history. They are now obliged to take the arduous play-off route to reach the World Cup.
“Football has shown time and time again that it is sometimes the most tortuous paths that lead us to the outcomes we desire,” Ronaldo, the Portugal captain posted after the shock 2-1 defeat that leapfrogged Serbia towards Qatar.
Mitrovic might think his route to making the weekend’s headlines had been a little tortuous, too. He started the night on the substitutes bench, a bold decision by head coach Dragan Stojkovic given the must-win equation facing Serbia and Mitrovic’s record of 44 goals from 69 caps. He is also in breathtaking form: 20 goals for Fulham in 17 matches already this season, 10 of them from his last six outings.
But, at 27, Mitrovic is used to being told almost as much about what he cannot do as a centre-forward as about his virtues as a finisher. He gets questioned about his mobility, and labelled a ‘Championship specialist’ because of the disparity, across what is now an extended career in English football, between his effectiveness in the Premier League and the level beneath.
His club Fulham have been promoted twice and relegated twice in his three and half seasons there since joining from Newcastle, where he spent a season and a half in the Premier League either side of a year in the second tier.
All this yo-yoing between top flight and Championship has tuned him to the distinctions between the two levels, and Mitrovic can scarcely argue that his pugnacious, target-man style is not better suited to the Championship. He averages a goal every two hours of action across his 99 games in that division, a rate that is improving rapidly. In the Premier League, he has only once reached double-figures in a full campaign. He scored 11 goals there for relegated Fulham in 2018-19; last season, another relegation, he managed just three.
Just as Ronaldo, now in his 37th year, hears criticism that he does not do enough pressing and defending off the ball, Mitrovic has been scrutinised in the past for leaving himself isolated up front, against opponents who have more of the ball.
But his impact, for a team in command of possession, as Fulham tend to be in the Championship, is clear, and when he came on for Serbia on Sunday, they too were gradually seizing control against a Portugal whose head coach Fernando Santos acknowledged were “anxious”.
Nor were the Portuguese unaware of the specifics of the Mitrovic threat. In March in Belgrade, he launched the comeback from 2-0 down with a trademark header from a cross. Portugal’s fate would be sealed in the same way in Lisbon.
“It was tough, but not enough to sink us,” insisted Ronaldo, still confident he will make it to a fifth World Cup. “We know what we have to do to get there”. The play-offs mean more suspense - a semi- and then, if successful, a final - and extended drama. Late-career Ronaldo specialises in that.
The Light of the Moon
Director: Jessica M Thompson
Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
RESULTS
6.30pm: Meydan Sprint Group 2 US$175,000 1,000m
Winner: Ertijaal, Jim Crowley (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap $60,000 1,400m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.40pm: Handicap $160,000 1,400m
Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group 3 $200,000 2,000m
Winner: Folkswood, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile Group 2 $250,000 1,600m
Winner: Janoobi, Jim Crowley, Mike de Kock
9.25pm: Handicap $125,000 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
RESULT
Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')
Teaching in coronavirus times
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Naga
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
