Record-breaking Tammy Abraham warmed-up nicely for the Europa Conference League final by scoring twice for Roma in a 3-0 win at Torino in Serie A on Friday.
Abraham’s first-half double took his league tally to 17 and saw him take over as the highest scoring English player, eclipsing the 16 goals Gerry Hitchens scored for Inter Milan in 1961-62.
Roma play Dutch side Feyenoord in the final of the Europa Conference League on Wednesday.
“I would’ve loved to get three to score a hat-trick for my team, but the most important thing is we won,” said Abraham, who took his tally in all competitions to 26 after moving from Premier League side Chelsea to Italy last summer.
“We wanted to finish the season well. It’s been a long hard season and fair play to all my teammates, we’ve done well. Now we’ve got a final to look forward to and we’re all excited.
“Like I’ve always said, I fell in love with this club from the first day. It’s been a good year for me. I’d like to build on this year and hopefully we can finish with a trophy and this would just be the perfect year.”
It was Roma’s first Serie A win in more than a month and ensured Jose Mourinho’s team finished at least sixth, securing a spot in next year’s Europa League regardless of what the teams below it manage on Saturday.
Both Abraham goals came following Torino defensive errors.
For the opener in the 33rd minute, the home side gave the ball away in its own half and Lorenzo Pellegrini found Abraham, who turned Torino defender David Zima inside out before riding a tackle and firing into the bottom right corner.
Roma doubled their lead when Torino defender Ricardo Ivan Rodriguez played an awful back pass that resulted in goalkeeper Etrit Berisha tripping Abraham. The striker struck the resulting penalty coolly down the middle three minutes before half-time.
Substitute Nicolo Zaniolo was barged over by Alessandro Buongiorno in the second half, leaving Pellegrini to slot home the penalty and complete the scoring.
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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
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WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
The Kingfisher Secret
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- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
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Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
