Hamdan Al Kamali's first experience of Olympique Lyonnais as an employee will have left him exhausted. And that is just from watching Lyon, along with transfixed television viewers across France, on Tuesday night, as a topsy-turvy League Cup semi-final teetered one way and then another, a cocktail of edge-of-the-seat twists and turns.
Al Kamali's new club eventually found their way, after 120 minutes at Lorient, into the final of the competition, to be staged in April.
The first Emirati footballer to land a professional contact with a leading European club will have learnt a great deal from what he saw in those two hours.
First, that Lyon have some concerns in the defence where he will hope to earn a place. L'Equipe, France's main sports newspaper, yesterday described "the heavy load of Lyon's defensive imbalances".
Leakiness in the positions in front of France's No 1 goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, has become a problem. In the league, Lyon are conceding at a rate of more than a goal a game and, although they sit fourth Ligue 1, eight points behind the leaders Paris Saint-Germain, no other side in the top half of the table has suffered more defeats than they have.
Against Lorient, following up a goalless first leg, Lyon fell 2-0 behind before pulling a goal back with 10 minutes left and then equalising in stoppage time to go on and win 4-2.
The experienced France full-back, Anthony Reveillere, had an anxious match. Next to him, the veteran Cris, Lyon's captain, had an even worse one. The centre-back was at fault for the first Lorient goal, while none of the back four looked particularly well placed when Lorient scored their second, leaving only 22 minutes, plus the crucial added-on period, for the visitors to launch their comeback.
In mitigation, Lyon are still missing, because of his involvement at the African Cup of Nations, one of the pillars of their back four. Bakary Kone, the young Burkina Faso central defender, arrived from second division Guingamp last summer, when Lyon were also pursuing Al Kamali as part of their search for a strong young stopper.
Kone began his top-flight career superbly, contributing goals as well as athleticism, authority and mobility in defence.
Remi Garde, the head coach, will only hope Kone, 23, can return from a chastening experience at the Nations Cup without too much damage to his confidence. Burkina Faso lost all three group games in Equatorial Guinea, and Kone scored a own goal.
John Mensah, the centre-half, has also been away in Africa, with Ghana. So on Tuesday, the 18-year-old Samuel Umtiti partnered Cris.
Lyon have high hopes of Umtiti, a graduate of the club's impressive youth system, but their strategists, led by Bernard Lacombe, the director of sport, know the squad is entering a period of transition. Cris is 34, Mensah, who is prone to injury, will turn 30 later this year.
Into this space Al Kamali, 22, will hope to find his niche, probably after a spell with the reserves. Adaptation is likely to take time. The French league is tough physically, as many newcomers to it observe, and probably more tactically nuanced than much of, say, the English Premier League.
Though Lyon have lost the pre-eminent status they enjoyed through the first decade of the new millennium, when they won seven successive championships from 2002 to 2008, they are a well-run club with a deservedly high reputation for advancing careers.
"There is stability there and it is a good place for younger players to be," said Gerard Houllier, the former Lyon head coach who guided the team to two of their league crowns.
Lacombe will certainly have identified Al Kamali as a potential long-term asset, even if the current deal bringing him to Lyon from Al Wahda is only a loan, with an option to buy.
Lyon's director of sport has sharp eyes for finding talent off the beaten track and his president, Jean-Michel Aulas, has expertise in buying players young and moving them on for large profits.
He has done so with such illustrious footballers as Edmilson and Eric Abidal (to Barcelona), Michael Essien and Florent Malouda (to Chelsea), Mahamadou Diarra and Karim Benzema (to Real Madrid), and the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa (Olympique Marseille, then Newcastle United), Jeremy Toulalan (Malaga) and Miralem Pjanic (Roma).
The UAE's highest-profile international fits the prototype Aulas likes, being deemed his country's outstanding player. He is at an age to improve. What he needs now is to show he can soon be stabilising that shaky Lyon defence.
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
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
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
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
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Superior, Connor Beasley (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
Winner: Tried And True, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Roy Orbison, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.15pm
Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
8.50pm
Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
Winner: Welford, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Sandeep Jadhav
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
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ARGYLLE
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Race card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m
9.25pm: Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
10.35pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm: Shahm, 7.05pm: Well Of Wisdom, 7.40pm: Lucius Tiberius, 8.15pm: Captain Von Trapp, 8.50pm: Secret Advisor, 9.25pm: George Villiers, 10pm: American Graffiti, 10.35pm: On The Warpath
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
