It was the first glimpse of the new normal and it transpired that it had certain similarities with the old one. The Bundesliga was stripped of spectators and atmosphere, Germany’s biggest ground deserted and new protocols adding a dystopian surrealness to the occasion, but Borussia Dortmund carried on winning and Erling Braut Haaland still scored.
There was something reassuring about the Norwegian's lovely strike, though not for Schalke, who were routed by local rivals. There was something symbolic, too. The Bundesliga prides itself on youth and goals and as it became the first of Europe's top five leagues to return, Dortmund's striking wunderkind scored the opening goal of the new era and their attack-minded team registered its first thrashing. Football has not changed completely.
Victory took Borussia to within a point of leaders Bayern Munich, who play on Sunday. It may not be remembered for those reasons, though Dortmund’s biggest Bundesliga win over Schalke since 1966 must rank as a famous result in the Ruhr Valley.
This was a Revierderby with a difference and not merely because Dortmund beat neighbours, who have been something of a bogey team for them of late.
This was among the first of German football’s Geisterspielen; or ghost games. Instead of the Westfalenstadion’s famous Yellow Wall there was a mass of empty seats, an edifice of noise replaced by a mausoleum of quiet. The soundtrack came instead from shouts from the dugout and pitch.
Dortmund’s normal average home gate is 81,154; Schalke, who have the third highest average attendance, are accustomed to playing in front of more than 60,000, not a mere 300.
The players walked out to “You’ll Never Walk Alone” with images of supporters, though there were none. Those rather lonely footballers wore masks in the tunnel, Dortmund’s a fetching yellow and black affair; substitutes kept them on while on the bench, an empty seat between each to comply with social-distancing restrictions, and Thomas Delaney donned one seconds after being replaced. Even goal celebrations were socially distanced, just as Dortmund took the acclaim of an empty Yellow Wall at the end.
And yet this amounted to an advertisement for their progressiveness and professionalism and for German football as a whole. It was a successful comeback for both Lucien Favre’s team and the Bundesliga, which is offering a roadmap to its rivals.
Often overshadowed by its English, Spanish and Italian counterparts, it took centre stage in Europe and one of the continent’s biggest derbies brought an emphatic win and excellent strikes as Dortmund’s slow start gave way to a high-calibre performance.
It debunked the theory football can’t be played without fans. German football has become associated with intensity and without match practice, Dortmund in particular eased their way back into proceedings. But any sense it felt like a glorified friendly was dismissed as slickness and quickness returned to their passing, they looked fit and fast and there was an abundance of quality. Their four goals were classy affairs.
Haaland’s was his first for 84 days, though his drought only spanned three games, and a 10th in nine Bundesliga appearances, a record rendered all the more impressive as three were from the bench. It was a beautiful strike. Julian Brandt supplied a backheel flick, Thorgan Hazard a curling cross and Haaland the cushioned first-time finish, guided past Markus Schubert.
The ubiquitous Brandt flourished. He set up the second, too, after a poor clearance from Schalke’s rookie goalkeeper Schubert, sliding a pass into the path of the overlapping wing-back Raphael Guerreiro. The Portugal international rifled in a shot and later completed a brace with an outside-of-the-boot finish after a one-two with Haaland.
Hazard added the third, completing a counter-attack with a crisp finish from Brandt’s pass. The Belgian was not due to start, with Jadon Sancho confined to the bench for the first 78 minutes and the 17-year-old American prodigy Giovanni Reyna slated for a maiden start. But then he was injured in the warm-up. Enter Hazard and, amid talk of the risk to footballers, he proved a menace to Schalke.
Adversity worked in Dortmund’s favour. Talent told. Hazard showed the depth of their resources in the absence of the injured Axel Witsel, Emre Can and Marco Reus while Brandt was the game’s most creative player, Haaland its most threatening striker and Guerreiro its most dangerous runner from deep.
It ended as a damaging day for Schalke, denting their hopes of Champions League qualification as they dropped to eighth; a team with a negative goal difference have only scored once in five matches.
They struggled to mount a response after going behind and while manager David Wagner made a half-time double switch, it did not alter the momentum.
He made five substitutions in total, another indication of how Covid-19 is remodelling football, but the four goals from Dortmund’s starters mattered rather more.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Western Clubs Champions League:
- Friday, Sep 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain
- Friday, Sep 15 – Kandy v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Friday, Sep 22 – Kandy v Bahrain
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
if you go
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
