Messi and Suarez on target but Inter Miami lose to Al Hilal in Riyadh Season Cup


Steve Luckings
  • English
  • Arabic

Lionel Messi was on target but finished on the losing side as his Inter Miami lost their first match in the Riyadh Season Cup to Al Hilal 4-3 on Monday.

The game was the latest leg of Miami's globe-trotting pre-season tour ahead of the start of the Major League Soccer season on February 21.

Messi will renew hostilities with his old adversary Cristiano Ronaldo when Miami take on Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

An 88th-minute header from Brazilian forward Malcom settled an entertaining friendly at the Kingdom Arena after Miami fought back to 3-3 from 3-1 down early in the second half.

Goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and Abdullah Al Hamdan gave the Saudi Pro League side the early advantage but Miami gained a foothold in the game when former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez grabbed his first goal since signing for the club last month, applying the finishing touch to Julian Gressel's pass.

The goal was initially disallowed for offside but a VAR check overturned the offside call and the goal stood.

Al Hilal restored their two-goal advantage a minute before half time when Al Hamdan crossed into the area for Brazilian forward Michael to nod home after Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender rushed off his line.

Miami responded strongly after the break and drew level with two goals in two minutes soon after the restart.

Messi made it 3-2 from the penalty spot in the 54th minute after Mohammed Jahfali was harshly adjudged to have brought down David Ruiz in the area.

Al Hilal were still regrouping from the penalty when Miami levelled. Messi swept a long pass into the path of Ruiz, and the winger cut in from the left and uncorked a ferocious strike that made it 3-3.

The game seemed destined to end in a draw but Malcolm headed home two minutes from time to seal the win.

Following Thursday's match against Al Nassr, Miami move on to play games in Hong Kong and Japan.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

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The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.

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What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

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Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

Company%20Profile
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Company profile

Name: Fruitful Day

Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie

Based: Dubai, UAE

Founded: 2015

Number of employees: 30

Sector: F&B

Funding so far: Dh3 million

Future funding plans: None at present

Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

If you go

The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.

Updated: January 30, 2024, 6:24 AM`