Al Hilal’s bold run at the Fifa Club World Cup came to an end in Orlando on Friday as the Saudi Arabian club were edged 2-1 by Brazil’s Fluminense in a pulsating quarter-final clash.
Having shocked the tournament with their 4-3 extra-time victory over Manchester City earlier in the week, Al Hilal looked poised for another statement result when striker Marcos Leonardo, standing in for the injured Aleksandar Mitrovic, netted his fourth goal of the competition early in the second half to cancel out Martinelli’s opener for Fluminense.
But substitute Hercules, introduced after the hour mark, scored what proved to be the winner with 20 minutes remaining to propel the Rio de Janeiro side into Tuesday’s semi-final against Chelsea in New Jersey.
“It’s painful to go out, especially after what we did against City,” Al Hilal captain Ruben Neves said. “But I’m proud of our fight, and of how far we came. We showed that teams from Asia can compete with anyone.”
The defeat ends Asia’s presence in the competition, leaving South America and Europe to contest the semi-finals. But for long spells under the Florida floodlights, Al Hilal matched Fluminense, in intensity and craft, only to fall short in the decisive moments.
Martinelli had given the Copa Libertadores holders the lead five minutes before the break. The attacking midfielder took Gabriel Fuentes' ex[ertly, before rifling a left-footed shot beyond Yassine "Bono" Bounou into the top corner.
Al Hilal responded strongly and nearly equalised on the stroke of half time, but veteran goalkeeper Fabio sprawled low to his left to deny Kalidou Koulibaly’s thumping header.
Leonardo made no mistake six minutes into the second half, however. When Koulibaly again rose highest from a corner, his header fell at the feet of the 21-year-old forward, who delicately scooped the ball past Fabio and two defenders on the line to make it 1-1.
The game’s defining moment came in the 70th minute. Hercules, who had scored in Fluminense’s previous round, saw an initial long-range effort deflected into the air. Instead of stopping, the midfielder continued his run and was rewarded when the loose ball dropped kindly. His sublime first touch set up a right-footed drive that arrowed into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations among the largely pro-Brazilian crowd.
Al Hilal pushed forward late on, but Fluminense’s defence held firm. Despite their exit, the Saudi club leave with heads held high, their performance against Manchester City still the tournament’s standout shock.
There was also emotion before kick-off, with a moment of silence for Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva, who died on Thursday. Cameras showed Neves and compatriot Joao Cancelo, international teammates of Jota, visibly emotional during the tribute.
For Al Hilal, their Club World Cup journey ends – but not without making a mark.
Chelsea send Palmerias packing
Enzo Maresca hailed the “perfect night” after his Chelsea side reached the Club World Cup semi-final and witnessed a sparkling display by incoming signing Estevao Willian.
A deflected late Malo Gusto cross saw the Londoners snatch a 2-1 victory in their quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia.
That came after Cole Palmer’s early opener had been cancelled out by a stunning strike from Estevao, the 18-year-old winger who is to join them after the tournament.
Maresca said: “We’re very happy. It’s a fantastic day. The semi-finals of the Club World Cup – the best clubs in the world – and we are there.
“Probably for us it has been the perfect night because we won and Estevao scored, so it was very good for all of us.”
Estevao was given a tough time by Marc Cucurella in a first half Chelsea largely controlled but he shone in the second period as the Brazilians fought their way back into the game.
He equalised when he took a pass from the right and smashed a shot past Robert Sanchez from a tight angle.
“You can see he is a huge talent, you can see is a fantastic player,” said Maresca. “The only thing now is when you come from South America or another part of the world to Europe you need to adapt.
“We are going to help him to adapt and first of all to enjoy football. We don’t have any doubt, as he is so good, that he is going to be an important player for Chelsea.”
Chelsea, who gave a debut to new signing Joao Pedro off the bench in the second half, will now play another Brazilian side in Fluminense in New York on Tuesday for a place in the final.
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
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The specs: 2018 Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Price, base / as tested: Dh283,080 / Dh318,465
Engine: 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 295hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.2L / 100km
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
more from Janine di Giovanni
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
