Al Ahly manager Pitso Mosimane has said the bronze medal won at the Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi is a better achievement than the last time they finished third in Qatar 2020.
The African and Egyptian champions thrashed Al Hilal, the Asian Champions League holders, 4-0 at Al Nahyan Stadium on Saturday in the third-place play-off.
Hamdi Fathi opened the scoring in the eighth minute, before Hilal were reduced to 10 men when Matheus Pereira was sent off six minutes later. Yasser Ibrahim doubled Ahly's lead shortly after and Hilal's task to get back into the game was made near-impossible after Mohammed Kano also received his marching orders midway through the first half. Ahly made their Saudi opponents pay by making it 3-0 through Ahmed Abdel Kader five minutes before the break, and Amr El Solia completed the rout in the 64th minute.
“For me, this was the medal this season, it’s better than the medal we won last time,” Mosimane said. “We played against nine men in the play-off but we would have won even if that didn’t happen."
Ahly's preparations for the Club World Cup were significantly affected as they had several players in the Egypt squad which reached the Africa Cup of Nations final. Those players joined the squad at the end of an exhausting campaign but that didn’t help them in the semi-finals, going down to Brazilian side Palmeiras 2-0.
"We arrived for this competition with six of our players on national duty at the Africa Cup of Nations," Mosimane added. “We had many injured players in our squad and many more who joined after the Africa Cup of Nations. To play and win a bronze under these circumstances showed the spirit and character of this team.
“As the head coach, I know how hard it was for us to play at this level with all the issues we faced. So, it was a very satisfying result at the end to return with a bronze.”
Mosimane also paid tribute to the Ahly fans for turning out in large numbers and supporting the team in Abu Dhabi.
“They are great, and they deserve to win championships and titles. I am proud of this crowd, and certainly we always work to make them happy with championships,” he said.
“Ahly has a new mission in the Africa Champions League, which we will fight to win. And returning again to the Club World Cup next year, to play for a better position and a bigger medal.”
Hilal manager Leonardo Jardim took the defeat graciously after the Asian champions were reduced to nine players.
“Our match was as good as over when we had two players sent off in the first half,” the Portuguese said. “We tried to adjust the situation by making changes, in order to control the middle of the field but we were unable to do so, as things changed for the worse, and we were unable to return to the match. The decisions were correct and contributed to our losing control of the match.”
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Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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Notable cricketers and political careers
- India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
- Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
- Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
- Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
