Going into their Saudi Pro League match against Al Hilal on Monday, Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq were flying high off the back of two wins including a famous 2-1 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in their season opener.
The side that had last won the league title in 1987 were close to the top of the table, after securing seven points from three games just like their unbeaten opponents.
Then came the bad news for the former Rangers boss. Al Ettifaq had to make do without their star striker Moussa Dembele and reliable centre-back Marcel Tisserand, who both failed to recover from injuries sustained in the previous match. Things went from bad to worse for the side from Dammam inside ten minutes of their game against Al Hilal as creative winger Vitinho had to be carried off with a hamstring injury.
The Portuguese winger had been a vital cog in Al Ettifaq’s attacking machine under Gerrard in the opening games. It was his smartly executed free-kick under the wall that secured a point in the derby against Al Khaleej a few days earlier, and he was involved in both goals in the 2-0 win over Al Hazem, setting up Robin Quaison’s opener before scoring the second himself with a drilled effort from the edge of the area.
The impact of Vitinho’s absence was instantly felt as Al Ettifaq struggled to create chances and failed to score for 90 minutes for the first time this season and fell to their first defeat with Al Hilal striking twice through Malcom and Salem Al Dawsari.
Since his arrival in Dammam, Gerrard has imposed a strict physical regime on the squad, with footage of his players collapsing on the pitch during pre-season training going viral online. And while his team did look physically superior to their opponents in the early weeks of the league, the injury crisis and the defeat that followed will raise some questions over how Gerrard’s ways could be negatively impacting on his team – but seven points from four matches remains a promising start for the Liverpool legend in Saudi Arabia.
On the opposite coast, a key player’s injury was not enough to stop Al Ittihad from continuing their perfect start to the season. The travelling supporters in Makkah watched with concern as club captain Karim Benzema hobbled off eight minutes before half-time due to a hamstring injury. The reigning Ballon d’Or holder had opened his account with his new club in the 4-0 win over Al Riyadh three days earlier, but now faces a spell on the sidelines.
Benzema’s premature exit presented an opportunity for Jota; the Portuguese winger who had arrived from Celtic to much fanfare as one of the most exciting players in the Scottish Premiership but found himself on the fringes of the first team as coach Nuno Espirito Santo continued to employ a narrow formation with no natural wingers.
As a result, the 24-year-old found himself at the heart of much speculation about his future just weeks after arriving in Jeddah, with a loan move to another SPL side or a return to Glasgow at a discounted price being touted.
Instead, Benzema’s injury means an opportunity for the winger who replaced the number nine, prompting a change in formation at half-time from his boss. Midway through the second half, Jota showed his qualities as he ran behind the defence on the left side, latching on the end of an Igor Coronado pass and dribbling his way into the box before beating Al Wehda goalkeeper at his near post.
An all-round excellent display from the Portuguese saw Al Ittihad march to a 3-0 win, leaving them clear at the top of the table with four wins from four, 12 goals scored, and none conceded. But most importantly for Jota, it showed that he still has a future in Jeddah and if his compatriot Nuno figures out a way to utilise his talents, he could unlock the potential of one of the most talented players in the league.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
SHAITTAN
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS
AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas
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Farmdar – agriculture
Farmin – smart cities
Greener Crop – agriculture
Ipera.ai – space digitisation
Lune Technologies – fibre-optics
Monak – delivery
NutzenTech – environment
Nybl – machine learning
Occicor – shelf management
Olymon Solutions – smart automation
Pivony – user-generated data
PowerDev – energy big data
Sav – finance
Searover – renewables
Swftbox – delivery
Trade Capital Partners – FinTech
Valorafutbol – sports and entertainment
Workfam – employee engagement
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
