MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson – 8. His extraordinary, incisive through ball put Zinchenko free to set up the first goal. His distribution was not always quite that solid, but he was a reassuring presence between the sticks for City. AFP
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson – 8. His extraordinary, incisive through ball put Zinchenko free to set up the first goal. His distribution was not always quite that solid, but he was a reassuring presence between the sticks for City. AFP
Kyle Walker – 7. Involved in little drama, but he will take that, given the result on a night when the stakes were so high. AFP
Kyle Walker – 7. Involved in little drama, but he will take that, given the result on a night when the stakes were so high. AFP
John Stones – 7. A stoic presence at the centre of City’s defence, even if it was his centre-back partner Dias who was making more of the most eye-catching blocks. AFP
John Stones – 7. A stoic presence at the centre of City’s defence, even if it was his centre-back partner Dias who was making more of the most eye-catching blocks. AFP
Ruben Dias – 8. Bravely put his head in the way of a driven cross as PSG threatened just before half time, then again from a shot after the break. His courage inspired his team. AFP
Ruben Dias – 8. Bravely put his head in the way of a driven cross as PSG threatened just before half time, then again from a shot after the break. His courage inspired his team. AFP
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 9.5. Will have had his heart in his mouth before being spared a penalty for handball after a VAR referral. Was celebrating not long after as he played a key role in City’s opener. Fully justified his selection in place of Cancelo. He was outstanding. EPA
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 9.5. Will have had his heart in his mouth before being spared a penalty for handball after a VAR referral. Was celebrating not long after as he played a key role in City’s opener. Fully justified his selection in place of Cancelo. He was outstanding. EPA
Fernandinho – 7. Evaded an early booking despite a string of fouls. Which is standard. He played a small but important role in tempering Zinchenko when the game was won but PSG were losing their heads. AFP
Fernandinho – 7. Evaded an early booking despite a string of fouls. Which is standard. He played a small but important role in tempering Zinchenko when the game was won but PSG were losing their heads. AFP
Ilkay Gundogan – 6. Made a timely interception when Di Maria was threatening to shoot just before the break, but was unusually lacking in influence in the midfield battle. AFP
Ilkay Gundogan – 6. Made a timely interception when Di Maria was threatening to shoot just before the break, but was unusually lacking in influence in the midfield battle. AFP
Bernardo Silva – 6. His laxness in possession provided a chance for Di Maria to level, and he was lucky the former Manchester United midfielder shot wide. Outshone by his colleagues. AFP
Bernardo Silva – 6. His laxness in possession provided a chance for Di Maria to level, and he was lucky the former Manchester United midfielder shot wide. Outshone by his colleagues. AFP
Riyad Mahrez – 8. Made no mistake when De Bruyne’s blocked shot fell to him in the 11th minute. Perky throughout as he gave Diallo a torrid night. Ideally placed to double his tally. EPA
Riyad Mahrez – 8. Made no mistake when De Bruyne’s blocked shot fell to him in the 11th minute. Perky throughout as he gave Diallo a torrid night. Ideally placed to double his tally. EPA
Phil Foden – 9. Took a little time to warm to the task, but was purring by the time the interval arrived, notably with a fine mazy dribble. Magnificent wing play to set up Mahrez’s second, and was in his element as the game opened up. EPA
Phil Foden – 9. Took a little time to warm to the task, but was purring by the time the interval arrived, notably with a fine mazy dribble. Magnificent wing play to set up Mahrez’s second, and was in his element as the game opened up. EPA
Kevin de Bruyne – 8. Perfectly assured just when his side needed him. Played an inch perfect pass for Foden to cross for Mahrez’s second goal. AFP
Kevin de Bruyne – 8. Perfectly assured just when his side needed him. Played an inch perfect pass for Foden to cross for Mahrez’s second goal. AFP
SUB: Gabriel Jesus – NA. Not much time to do anything significant, but lucky to emerge unscathed after a reckless lunge from Kimpembe. AFP
SUB: Gabriel Jesus – NA. Not much time to do anything significant, but lucky to emerge unscathed after a reckless lunge from Kimpembe. AFP
SUB: Raheem Sterling – NA. Arrived late to the party, and tried his best to add to the celebrations, but his attempts at quick passes were traded with tiring teammates. Reuters
SUB: Raheem Sterling – NA. Arrived late to the party, and tried his best to add to the celebrations, but his attempts at quick passes were traded with tiring teammates. Reuters
SUB: Sergio Aguero – NA. Made an appearance on his farewell tour, but it felt more sentimental than purposeful. Reuters
SUB: Sergio Aguero – NA. Made an appearance on his farewell tour, but it felt more sentimental than purposeful. Reuters
PSG RATINGS: Keylor Navas – 6. Kept out a shot from Mahrez with his legs from a similar position to which he was beaten when City took the lead. Dealt with a testing Foden shot at the start of the second half. EPA
PSG RATINGS: Keylor Navas – 6. Kept out a shot from Mahrez with his legs from a similar position to which he was beaten when City took the lead. Dealt with a testing Foden shot at the start of the second half. EPA
Presnel Kimpembe – 6. Got treatment for a head knock in the first half. Had his socks around his ankles and looked exhausted by the end. Lucky only to see yellow for a wild hack at Jesus. Reuters
Presnel Kimpembe – 6. Got treatment for a head knock in the first half. Had his socks around his ankles and looked exhausted by the end. Lucky only to see yellow for a wild hack at Jesus. Reuters
Marquinhos – 7. Made a dominant leap and should have levelled the score on the night, but saw his header hit the bar. Tried to raise his side, but by the end needed to keep a lid on their tempers instead. AFP
Marquinhos – 7. Made a dominant leap and should have levelled the score on the night, but saw his header hit the bar. Tried to raise his side, but by the end needed to keep a lid on their tempers instead. AFP
Abdou Diallo – 5. Had plenty of opportunities to cross in dangerous positions, but wasted each of them. Started the second phase in lacklustre fashion with an unnecessary foul on Mahrez. AFP
Abdou Diallo – 5. Had plenty of opportunities to cross in dangerous positions, but wasted each of them. Started the second phase in lacklustre fashion with an unnecessary foul on Mahrez. AFP
Alessando Florenzi – 5. Caught out of position by Ederson’s pass to Zinchenko for the opener, which earned the wrath of his manager. Subbed once the game had gone. AFP
Alessando Florenzi – 5. Caught out of position by Ederson’s pass to Zinchenko for the opener, which earned the wrath of his manager. Subbed once the game had gone. AFP
Marco Verratti – 7. His scheming was part of the reason that the away side dominated possession of the ball in the first half, but he was petulant once it became obvious the tie was lost. EPA
Marco Verratti – 7. His scheming was part of the reason that the away side dominated possession of the ball in the first half, but he was petulant once it became obvious the tie was lost. EPA
Leandro Paredes – 6. Seldom featured in anything progressive or creative, and mostly spotted when there was squabbling going on. Reuters
Leandro Paredes – 6. Seldom featured in anything progressive or creative, and mostly spotted when there was squabbling going on. Reuters
Mauro Icardi – 3. No-one can replicate Mbappe’s pace, but Icardi often seemed unwilling to even try to break or press quickly. It felt like his side were playing with a player less while he was on. AFP
Mauro Icardi – 3. No-one can replicate Mbappe’s pace, but Icardi often seemed unwilling to even try to break or press quickly. It felt like his side were playing with a player less while he was on. AFP
Neymar – 7. Without his regular foil – Mbappe, who was benched with an injury – alongside him, he looked less willing, or maybe able, to pick passes. EPA
Neymar – 7. Without his regular foil – Mbappe, who was benched with an injury – alongside him, he looked less willing, or maybe able, to pick passes. EPA
Angel Di Maria – 4. Saw his shot from range go inches wide when he had the goal at his mercy after dispossessing Silva. Lost his head when he stamped on Fernandinho, and deservedly saw red. EPA
Angel Di Maria – 4. Saw his shot from range go inches wide when he had the goal at his mercy after dispossessing Silva. Lost his head when he stamped on Fernandinho, and deservedly saw red. EPA
Ander Herrera – 7. Bolted around furiously trying to drive PSG back into the tie. Booked for a puerile response to being denied a free kick. Substituted for fear he was about to turn that into red. Reuters
Ander Herrera – 7. Bolted around furiously trying to drive PSG back into the tie. Booked for a puerile response to being denied a free kick. Substituted for fear he was about to turn that into red. Reuters
SUB: Moise Kean – NA. The on-loan Everton striker had no chance to make an impression after coming on for the ineffectual Icardi, Reuters
SUB: Moise Kean – NA. The on-loan Everton striker had no chance to make an impression after coming on for the ineffectual Icardi, Reuters
SUB: Julian Draxler – NA. The German forward was scarcely spotted after coming on when the tie was as good as lost already. EPA
SUB: Julian Draxler – NA. The German forward was scarcely spotted after coming on when the tie was as good as lost already. EPA
SUB: Danilo – NA. Brought on apparently to calm PSG’s recklessness – only to be cautioned for an ugly challenge on Jesus. AFP
SUB: Danilo – NA. Brought on apparently to calm PSG’s recklessness – only to be cautioned for an ugly challenge on Jesus. AFP
SUB: Colin Dagba – NA. Got an appearance fee, but little else after he was brought on late in the day. EPA
SUB: Colin Dagba – NA. Got an appearance fee, but little else after he was brought on late in the day. EPA
SUB: Mitchel Bakker – NA. Not enough time to make a notable contribution, other than to blunt Mahrez’s chance of netting a third. EPA
SUB: Mitchel Bakker – NA. Not enough time to make a notable contribution, other than to blunt Mahrez’s chance of netting a third. EPA

Football

Champions League success 'in the stars', says Pep Guardiola after PSG triumph

Man City reach final of Europe's most prestigious club tournament for first time

AFP

May 05, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Pep Guardiola took a swipe at his critics after the Manchester City manager finally led his team to the Champions League final with a 2-0 win against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

Riyad Mahrez's two scores at the Etihad Stadium sealed a 4-1 aggregate success after the semi-final second leg.

Read More

Jose Mourinho to take over as Roma manager in summer

City will make their first ever Champions League final appearance against Chelsea or Real Madrid in Istanbul on May 29.

It was a cathartic moment for City boss Guardiola, 50, who has been needled by claims that he won the Champions League with Barcelona only because of the genius of Lionel Messi.

The Argentine superstar was crucial to Barca's two Champions League triumphs under Guardiola's management, in 2009 and 2011.

Since leaving Barca in 2012, Guardiola had been unable to return to the Champions League final in three years with Bayern Munich and his first four seasons at City.

But he has taken City to the promised land at last and he was quick to underline how difficult the achievement was.

It's a competition that is so difficult and something in the stars is involved in that

"We fought together and we're in the final of the Champions League and those are nice words," Guardiola said.

"People believe it's easy to arrive in the final of the Champions League.

"Getting to the final now makes sense of what we have done in the past four or five years.

"Manchester United won a title because of John Terry's slip and also in the last minute against Bayern Munich. Real Madrid won a final against Atletico in the 93rd minute.

"It's a competition that is so difficult and something in the stars is involved in that."

Praising City's squad for thriving despite the demands of a gruelling fixture list, Guardiola paid tribute to his players.

"It is for all of us and the club," he said. "I'm incredibly proud and my first thoughts are with the players who didn't play today.

"They all deserved to play, everyone has made a contribution and now it is time to enjoy it.

"Paris win the league every year. They are a team built to win, they fought to the end. They are a huge team but we were so composed.

"They put a lot of players in the middle and we struggled a lot in the first half to high press and we changed at half-time.

"We recovered the ball better in the second half and we were much better in the way we played."

Attention turns to Premier League for Guardiola's men

City have already won the League Cup and with their Champions League final place booked, Guardiola will turn his attention to clinching the Premier League title with a win against Chelsea on Saturday.

"We have to win the league and we have two or three weeks to prepare for the final," he said.

Mahrez was City's key man in the tie as the Algerian's double added to the free-kick he scored to put City 2-1 up in the first leg.

He admitted City knew they had the victory after PSG started lashing out, culminating in Angel Di Maria's needless red card for a petulant stamp on Fernandinho.

Riyad Mahrez scores his and Manchester City's second to ensure comfortable passage to the Champions League final. AP
Riyad Mahrez scores his and Manchester City's second to ensure comfortable passage to the Champions League final. AP

"It was a very good game. We didn't start well but we got the goal and we were more comfortable after that," Mahrez said.

"They had to come at us. We are good on the counter. That's how the two goals came about.

"We could have scored more. They lost their nerve and started to kick us. After the red card it was good for us."

HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
On Women's Day
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Rating: 2.5/5

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The biog

Name: Mariam Ketait

Emirate: Dubai

Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language

Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown

Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures

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

Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Tomorrow 2021
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

Zayed Sustainability Prize
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E410hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E495Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Estarts%20from%20Dh495%2C000%20(Dh610%2C000%20for%20the%20F-Sport%20launch%20edition%20tested)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
more from justin thomas
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

On Women's Day
School uniforms report
AWARDS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Male%20black%20belt%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELucas%20Protasio%20(BRA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20female%20black%20belt%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJulia%20Alves%20(BRA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Masters%20black%20belt%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Igor%20Silva%20(BRA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Asian%20Jiu-Jitsu%20Federation%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kazakhstan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Academy%20in%20UAE%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECommando%20Group%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20International%20Academy%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Commando%20Group%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAfrican%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKatiuscia%20Yasmira%20Dias%20(GNB)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOceanian%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAnton%20Minenko%20(AUS)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEuropean%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rose%20El%20Sharouni%20(NED)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENorth%20and%20Central%20American%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexa%20Yanes%20(USA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAsian%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZayed%20Al%20Katheeri%20(UAE)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERookie%20of%20the%20Year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rui%20Neto%20(BRA)Rui%20Neto%20(BRA)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UFC Fight Night 2

1am – Early prelims

2am – Prelims

4am-7am – Main card

7:30am-9am – press cons

While you're here
Fund-raising tips for start-ups

Develop an innovative business concept

Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors

Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19

Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.) 

Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months

Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses

Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business

* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna

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