A couple of weeks before his 30th birthday, Edin Dzeko scored what turned out to be the last of his 72 goals for Manchester City. It was against Liverpool, a typical Dezko strike in many ways — drifting between his markers, a half-turn and a powerful right-footed finish.
He had been under some pressure in the weeks before, for a lengthy barren spell in front of goal. By then, March 2015, he sensed his long, epoch-making time at the club was drawing to a close and that summer, City, assessing his age and thanking him for his key role in making them champions of England — twice in Dzeko’s time there — loaned him out to Roma.
So began the first renaissance of one of the most enduringly effective centre-forwards of his generation. He’s been a league champion in Germany and England with Wolfsburg and City, who were not used to finishing top of those leagues. He’s been a target man through an era when that type of striker has faded from fashion, but a target man who has always had extra range to his game.
Roma saw that quickly, and made Dzeko a permanent member of their staff when his loan from City ended. The following season, 2016/17, he was Serie A’s leading scorer.
Dzeko will turn 36 next month, and it could be said he is now enjoying his second renaissance. Last summer, he joined Inter Milan — who host Liverpool in the last-16 of the Champions League on Wednesday — given the burdensome responsibility of replacing the sold Romelu Lukaku as principal striker.
He was a cut-price replacement, hired by a club who had followed up winning the Italian title with a sudden, brutal sale of assets to service debts. Lukaku was joined at the exit by Achraf Hakimi, an excellent supplier of crosses to any target man. Antonio Conte, the manager, also left.
Yet an apparently weakened Inter have kept pace with the standards set by Conte’s champions. In Europe, they have exceeded those standards.
On Wednesday, the club take part in a knockout tie in Europe’s leading club competition for the first time in a decade. Dzeko’s goals got them out of the group stage — they finished bottom of their group under Conte last season — with a match to spare.
At the weekend, his 10th goal of the league campaign, a second-half equaliser at Napoli, kept Inter well in the hunt to retain the title. They trail leaders AC Milan by a single point with a game in hand. Four days before holding Napoli, who are third in the table, Dzeko’s second-minute strike against his old club Roma had guided Inter towards the semi-final of the Coppa Italia.
Nobody at Inter is actively nurturing dreams of a Treble, something the club achieved with their last Champions League triumph in 2010, but a domestic prize is there to be claimed. As for Europe, manager Simone Inzaghi is quite clear who the favourites are this evening.
“We are up against one of the strongest teams in the world,” said Inzaghi, “and the strength stems from the front of the team and the movement there.” Or, as Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s manager, described it, a twin “force of nature”, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Klopp was remarking on the swift recovery, and apparent freshness of the Egyptian and the Senegalese, both of them involved in a marathon Africa Cup of Nations final that went to penalties, Mane converting the decider, only 10 days ago.
Dzeko needs little reminding of the impact of Mane and Salah. Salah was for two seasons a teammate at Roma; united with Mane at Liverpool, he was at the sharp point of an extraordinary Champions League semi-final against Roma in 2018. It finished, over two legs, Liverpool 7, Roma 6. Mane scored in both legs, Salah a brace in the Anfield game.
Dzeko, for his part, kept Roma alive in the tie twice, with a goal in each of the games, the first a classic — chesting down a lofted ball, and turning away from his marker to rifle home when Roma were trailing 5-0 in the first leg. When Dezko made the overall score 7-4 in Rome, an astonishing comeback bid gained real momentum, his team only a goal shy of taking the contest to extra-time by the final whistle.
That goal, incidentally, made it three successive games against Liverpool in which Dzeko has featured on the scoresheet. His latest duel with Virgil van Dijk should be one to savour.
1971: The Year The Music Changed Everything
Director: Asif Kapadia
4/5
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
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
