Al Ain will fight until the end to keep alive their Asian Champions League hopes when they take on Al Duhail on Tuesday, according to manager Zoran Mamic.
The Garden City club, still the only Emirati side to win the continent's premier club competition, face a difficult task against the Qatar champions in Doha. Trailing 4-2 on aggregate in their last-16 clash following last week's disappointing defeat at home, Mamic's men need to score at least three goals if they are to advance to the quarter-finals. At one stage, Al Ain were 4-0 down in the tie.
What is more, the victory at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium extended Duhail’s 100 per cent record in this season’s Champions League. Having already topped their group with full points, Djamel Belmadi's side became only the second team to open their campaign with seven successive wins.
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Read more:
Marcus Berg says Al Ain 'must go for it' if they are to overturn Al Duhail
'Everything is possible': Al Ain down but not out of ACL contention, says Mamic
Al Ain star Hussein El Shahat's omitted from latest Egypt squad ahead of World Cup
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Yet Al Ain will take heart from their strong away record in Asia. The UAE champions are unbeaten on the road this year, and triumphed 4-1 the last time they played in Doha – in last month’s Group D finale at Al Rayyan. The same result on Tuesday would book Al Ain’s place in the quarter-finals.
“OK, we did it last month, but Duhail are a better team than Al Rayyan,” Mamic said. “Like I have said before, everything is possible. We will try to do our best and we have to fight until the end. Then only after the game we can talk about what has happened.
“Ninety minutes in football, everything is possible. We will give whatever we can. Duhail are a good team, they showed in the first game that they have big quality. But Al Ain will be much better in the second game than in the first. We have more time to prepare for this match. I’m sure Al Ain will try to do what maybe now looks impossible because, again, everything is possible.”
Mamic has been boosted by the return of centre-back Mohanad Salem and Egyptian midfielder Hussein El Shahat. The pair, key to Al Ain's chances of flipping the tie, missed the first leg through suspension.
However, the 2003 champions will be without winger Caio after the Brazilian was shown a straight red last week for kicking out at an opponent. Meanwhile, Duhail welcome back Brazilian defender Lucas Mendes.
Still, Mamic saw enough in that initial match to be confident of a comeback, especially given how Al Ain rallied in the closing half hour. Substitutes Ahmed Khalil and Ibrahim Diaky scored the goals to half the deficit, but the team spurned another couple of gilt-edged opportunities to reduce further Duhail’s advantage. Nevertheless, it provides Mamic fresh hope.
“Of course,” the Croat said. “The last 25 to 30 minutes from this game shows that we can play against Duhail and that we have quality also. And I’m sure that, from the beginning, we will try to do everything to change the result.”
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The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
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5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
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Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
