If anyone was to be remotely well briefed on what to expect from North Korea’s national football team, you might expect it to be Paulo Bento.
The UAE coach did, after all, arrive for his current post straight from four years spent with South Korea’s national team.
However, glimpsing over the border and consuming some football is not quite as simple as it might be from, say, Bento’s native Portugal to Spain.
His UAE side face North Korea on Thursday night at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, in the third fixture of the latest round of Asia’s World Cup qualifying process.
Bento professed himself content enough with the information they have on their visitors. Realistically, it must not amount to much more than what they saw in the opening round of games last month, when the Korean side lost 1-0 to Uzbekistan, then managed to hold Qatar 2-2 despite being down to 10-men for 62 minutes.
Whether or not there are gaps in the UAE’s research against the side frequently termed the most secretive in the world game, Bento insists his team control their own fate.
He is demanding the sort of desire and intent which carried the national team to a 3-1 win in Doha in their opening game, then in a spirited display in a 1-0 loss to Iran.
“The information we would like to give to the players is already done,” Bento said. “We need to adapt ourselves. We have observed some recent games, and we have prepared for this game in the same way we have prepared for the other ones.
“We have a lot of respect for this team. For sure, we will have a lot of difficulties to reach our goal, but our goal is clear: to try to get the three points.
“To do that it is important we compete in the same way we competed in the last two games. If we decrease our level regarding the intensity we put into the game, the aggressiveness we put into the game, it will be really difficult to get a good result.”
It is not just the opposition about whom mystery abounds. Bento cut a frustrated figure when he referenced the continued absence of Sultan Adil, the UAE centre forward.
The 20-year-old marked himself out as fine prospect for the national team, scoring in five games in succession. However, he has not been spotted since the most recent of those, against Bahrain in June, because of injury.
“I don’t know if he is going to keep playing football,” Bento said of Adil.
“I’m not sure about that because we had thought that he would be able to play after six weeks. Now, four months after, he is not training. You know that he is an important player for us.”
However, the home squad has been bolstered by debut call ups for Sharjah’s Marcus Meloni and Al Jazira’s Bruno de Oliveira. Both are naturalised UAE citizens who were born in Brazil.
“We have different options because of the process the federation started a long time ago,” Bento said.
“It is not just these guys that have come now, but other ones who are already in the national team. The more options we have, the better for us.
“We will decide the ones we think are better for each game. In my opinion, I think that until now the results have not been bad.
"We can improve, of course, and to do that it is important that we have more options, and not just ones that come from this process.”
While many of the players have suffered mixed fortunes in the month since they were last together, they are likely to be happy to be back on national duty.
The side was infused by a spirit of optimism after they stunned the double-Asian champions, Qatar, on the opening day of the six-team, 10-match round of qualifiers.
Their loss against Iran next time out was offset by the outstanding support they received at a packed Hazza Bin Zayed.
Tahnoon Al Zaabi, whose Al Wasl side have lost three big games over the past two weeks, says the players are inspired by the support they receive in Al Ain.
“In the last match we had a good crowd and atmosphere, and hopefully we can make them happy,” Tahnoon said.
“We want to give our best performance to get the three points. In the last game against Iran, we didn’t deserve to lose, but that’s football.
“I am hoping we have the same crowd, because that is one of the reasons we want to give our best performance, when we have a full stadium.”
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
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Brief scores:
Newcastle United 1
Perez 23'
Wolverhampton Rovers 2
Jota 17', Doherty 90' 4
Red cards: Yedlin 57'
Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Wolves)
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
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Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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SCORES
Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
