AL AHLI 1, AL SADD 1
Al Ahli - Grafite 68'
Al Sadd - Belhadj 25'
Man of the Match - Majid Hassan
DUBAI //Back where he belonged, Cosmin Olaroiu cut a rather subdued figure throughout Wednesday night’s Asian Champions League clash with Al Sadd.
The Al Ahli coach, midway through a six-month touchline ban that covers only domestic fixtures, probably felt a little out of place, given that since December he has spent each match at the Rashid Stadium looking on from the stands.
Any discomfort would have been amplified by the identity of his opponents, too.
After all, it was Sadd who paid Olaroiu’s bills for 18 months across 2009 and 2010, a time in which he guided the Doha club to the Qatar League Cup.
That seemed to count for next to nothing when old friendships were rekindled, though, for Sadd initially played the ungrateful guests, seizing a first-half lead. However, the ever-dependable Grafite levelled matters with a header just after the hour to secure what could well be a valuable point in Ahli’s quest for qualification. It makes two draws from two Group D encounters for the Dubai club.
Although not the usual combustible Cosmin, Olaroiu’s return to the dugout had apparently still stirred his blood.
“Maybe they were better than us technically in midfield, but we matched this with our running, with our spirit and our fight,” the Romanian said.
“In the end, one point each is a fair result.”
Olaroiu knew his side should have perhaps secured all three in their stadium.
The Arabian Gulf Leaders may not have played like their domestic dominance suggested they could – they remain in the hunt for four trophies this season – but they created enough to register a vital victory.
Ciel was the most profligate, as the Brazilian wasted several clear-cut chances before departing early with what appeared an ankle injury.
At different points, the hosts felt a strain as well, particularly when they had two goals disallowed, albeit rightly so. However, even when Ismail Al Hammadi’s typically adhesive touch deserted him right at the death, as he bore down on goal, Olaroiu remained resolutely relaxed, seemingly content to share the spoils.
With Al Hilal losing earlier in the evening at Iran’s Sepahan, Ahli sit third in a pool that should hold interest until the final fixtures.
“We move on in what is a very hard group,” Olaroiu said.
“If you said before that Hilal were expected to finish first, after two matches they have only one point. This proves how difficult this group is, where any team can qualify. So we’ll see in the coming matches.”
Make no mistake, Sadd played their part also. Raul, their vastly experienced captain, was guilty of wasting a couple of decent opportunities, the worse when he blazed wide in the second half with only Saif Abdullah, the Ahli goalkeeper, to beat. This was far from his Real Madrid vintage. Yet the draw will suit Sadd better, as it keeps intact their unbeaten beginning to the group. Four points from two matches; or rather, winning your home games and gleaning points on the road, has long been a recipe for progression in this competition that Sadd won in 2011.
Hussein Amotta’s mood reinforced as much.
“I wanted to get the three points, especially as we scored first and created a lot of one-on-one chances,” the Sadd coach said.
“But playing against one of the best teams, and particularly when they’ve been playing so well this season, one point is a positive thing. It was a good away match for us.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Predictions
Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:
- Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
- Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
- Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
- Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
- Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai
Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore
Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Draw
Quarter-finals
Real Madrid (ESP) or Manchester City (ENG) v Juventus (ITA) or Lyon (FRA)
RB Leipzig (GER) v Atletico Madrid (ESP)
Barcelona (ESP) or Napoli (ITA) v Bayern Munich (GER) or Chelsea (ENG)
Atalanta (ITA) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Ties to be played August 12-15 in Lisbon
MATCH INFO
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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