So confident were Juventus ahead of their Club World Cup opener against Al Ain, they had spent the eve of the game at the White House having an audience with President Donald Trump.
If shooting the breeze with the leader of the United States was a distraction from the matters at hand, then it did not show, as they dominated the side from the UAE.
Randal Kolo Muani, Juve’s French striker, led the way as the Italian side crushed an out-of-sorts Al Ain 5-0.
It was the sort of result that many beyond the Emirates might have expected. But the club from the Garden City – who had reached the final of the previous guise of the Club World Cup back in 2018 – had expected much better.
Al Ain had talked about competing with the best ahead of the tournament. They cited the fact they had beaten Juventus once before, and an even more starry line up than the current side.
In 2003 they had won a mid-season friendly against a Juve side that included players like Gianluigi Buffon, Alessandro Del Piero, Edgar Davids and Pavel Nedved.
They might also have been cheered by a result from earlier in the day that struck a blow for Middle East football. Al Hilal had held mighty Real Madrid to a draw in their opening game.
Al Ain had beaten Al Hilal on their way to qualification for the Club World Cup, knocking them out at the semi-final stage of the 2024 AFC Champions League.
But when it came to it, they were entirely lacklustre. They were 4-0 down by half time and it looked alarmingly as though they might suffer the same fate as the part-timers from Auckland City, who shipped double figures against Bayern Munich in their opener.
Al Ain had made five changes from the final game of their Pro League campaign, which was a 2-0 win against Al Nasr in Dubai nearly a month ago.
Although they had a lengthy lead in from then till the start of the tournament, their prep was disjointed. Three of their key players had arrived late in America, having been on international duty with the UAE.
Only one of them – centre back Kouame Autonne – made the starting XI. Khalid Essa, the club captain, and Yahia Nader, the influential midfield metronome, were both conspicuous by their absence.
Essa has been a mainstay in goal for over a decade for club and country, so it was jarring to see Rui Patricio in his place between the posts.
Patricio has had a long and auspicious career with clubs like Sporting Lisbon, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Roma, as well as over 100 caps for Portugal.
But his short-term switch to Al Ain for the Club World Cup is the sort of deal which critics argue undermines the competition.
He might have international renown, but Essa is part of the fabric of Al Ain. As a side note on the same issue, there were no Emirati players in the starting XI.
And in sporting terms, Patricio might as well not have been there for all the impact he made.
Playing in the sky blue more readily associated with Al Ain’s next opponents, Manchester City, rather than their trademark black and white stripes, Juventus were a class above from the start.
Kolo Muani started the scoring in the 11th minute and added a second in stoppage time at the end of the first half. He was denied the chance of a hat-trick when he was withdrawn to make way for Dusan Vlahovic in the second half.
Francisco Conceicao also scored two, while Kenan Yildiz, the Turkish playmaker, also got a goal his performance deserved.
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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RESULTS
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Thabet Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Blue Diamond, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6pm Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Shoja’A Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Heros De Lagarde, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
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
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
