Wales international Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to score the equaliser for Nice in a 1-1 draw with promoted Toulouse in the French league on Sunday.
Signed on a free transfer from Juventus in the closed season, Ramsey replaced Calvin Stengs in the 76th minute and made an instant impact for his new club by pouncing on a pass from Billal Brahimi to score with a first-time effort in the 78th.
“I didn’t expect it to be this hot,” Ramsey told Amazon Prime video after the game. “I’m excited to play in this league. As you can see today, it was very technical, athletic, very fast. So I’m happy to be here and hopefully I can play my part this season.”
In his French league debut, Thijs Dallinga opened the scoring for Toulouse by flicking home a cross from captain Branco Van den Boomen in the 20th.
Toulouse signed Dallinga for a reported fee of 2.5 million euros ($2.55 million) this summer. Last season, the Dutch striker scored 36 goals to help second-division Excelsior Rotterdam gain promotion.
Dallinga also beat the offside trap to be clean through on goal in the 18th but had his shot deflected on to the post by Nice goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.
Stengs was the only bright spot for Nice in the first half. The Dutch winger rattled the bar in the 32nd and made a cross for Amine Gouiri, whose tame header didn’t trouble goalkeeper Maxime Dupe in the 36th.
Toulouse started tiring in the second half as Dupe denied Khephren Thuram in the 61st.
Ramsey began his career at Welsh club Cardiff City before earning a move to Arsenal in 2008. He scored 40 goals in 262 appearances for the Gunners before moving to Italian giants Juventus in 2019. He made played 49 games for Juve, scoring 5 goals.
The midfielder has played 75 times for Wales and notched up 20 international goals.
Ramsey is the first Welshman to play in the French league since Brynley Griffith in 1959 according to the Ligue 1 official website.
A contender for European spots, Nice finished fifth last season.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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