The build-up to Al Nassr’s marquee match of the season has hardly been ideal.
Most recently, the Riyadh side were held to a goalless draw at Al Feiha, in the process slipping to three points behind leaders Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League with only seven matches remaining.
At full-time, and following another frustrating night in front of goal, Cristiano Ronaldo trudged down the tunnel, venting his anger at opposition players. Seemingly teammates, too.
Less than a week later, manager Rudi Garcia had left the club “by mutual agreement”, his final words in public the post-match television interview at Feiha, when the Frenchman placed the blame firmly at the players’ feet.
"The result is definitely bad, and we are not happy," Garcia said. "I don’t feel satisfied with the players' performance. I asked them to play at the same level as the last game [a 5-0 victory against Al Adalah], but this didn’t happen."
The consensus was that his comments did not go down well with an already dissatisfied playing staff. So, five days before Tuesday's Riyadh derby at arch-rivals Al Hilal, Garcia was gone.
Hired last summer and provided with the high-profile foreign recruits of goalkeeper David Ospina, defender Ghislain Konan, midfielder Luiz Gustavo and latterly Ronado - on reportedly the most expensive deal in football history - Garcia was deemed to not be delivering on the seismic investment.
In January, when Ronaldo arrived, Nassr were top of the table with 11 matches played, their superstar addition expected to propel the club to a first top-flight crown in four years.
After a delayed debut, and an underwhelming opening two games, Ronaldo did on the pitch what Ronaldo was brought to do. He scored eight goals in February to be named the league’s Player of the Month.
In all, Ronaldo has found the net 11 times in his 10 league appearances, yet those have come across five matches (he struck four at Al Wehda and three at Damak). When he hasn’t scored, his anger has been evident.
Against Feiha, Ronaldo had chances, but could not covert. Although, to be fair, Brazilian Anderson Talisca, the league's top scorer, endured an off night also.
That said, irrespective of Garcia’s departure and aside from the obvious commercial value of his acquisition, Ronaldo was signed to get Nassr over the line this season. In fact, he is said to be driven primarily by that objective.
At 38, for sure Ronaldo’s best days are long behind him, but the narrowed conviction in adding more titles to an already incredible career sits at the forefront of his mind in Saudi.
His fluctuating performances, should they sustain, would not command as much attention if Nassr next month secure a 10th league trophy (they do contest the semi-finals of the King’s Cup next week as well).
Tuesday’s derby at Hilal will go a considerable way to deciding if Nassr and their Portuguese captain will be placated. Typically, a trip across the capital to King Fahd International Stadium would not be particularly welcome, particularly at the business end of the season and with so much a stake.
Some solace, though, can be gleaned from Hilal’s inconsistent form. The current domestic and Asian champions have not won in three matches, with Friday’s 1-0 defeat to bottom club Al Batin an obvious indictor of their present malaise. They sit fourth in the table, 10 points off the summit.
Hilal’s stutter can be attributed principally to a fixture glut created by February’s historic run to the Fifa Club World Cup final, while focus may have shifted, understandably, to the Asian Champions League final first leg against Japan’s Urawa Reds on April 29. They may even view Sunday’s King’s Cup semi-final against Ittihad as the more important of their two assignments this week.
Still, Ronaldo will take centre stage on Tuesday. With Garcia no longer there and Under-19 manager Dinko Jelicic in situ for now, the team’s leader and lightning rod must conjure a crucial contribution.
Anything less than victory for Nassr, albeit against their fiercest foe, could prove devastating to those long-held title hopes. That, in turn, would undermine significantly Ronaldo’s recruitment.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession
LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice
LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True
LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES
Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Fulham 0
Aston Villa 3 (Grealish 4', Hourihane 15', Mings 48')
Man of the match: Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
