YOKOHAMA // Today's first semi-final at the Fifa Club World Cup 2008 in Tokyo's National Stadium is an all Spanish-speaking affair as South American champions Liga Deportivo Universitaria de Quito (Ecuador) meet Central and North American champions Pachuca (Mexico).
'Los Albos' may be the biggest team in Ecuador and responsible for many of the players who played in the 2006 World Cup, but they surprised many by becoming the first Ecuadorean club to win the Copa Libertadores.
They did it the hard way, overcoming tough opponents like Argentina's San Lorenzo and Estudiantes before defeating Brazilian favourites Fluminense in the final.
An excellent team spirit and the inspired management of Edgardo Bauza is their strength. Among their players is the former Southampton striker Agustin Delgado, 34.
"We're taking things one step at a time," offered Quito goalkeeper Jose Francisco Cevallos. "Pachuca are a tough team with some good individuals.
"If we stay focused and work hard then we'll win the game. Only then can we start dreaming about winning the final."
Quito have form on their side against Mexican opponents having beaten America in the last four of the Copa Libertadores.
They start as favourites against a Pachuca side who came from 2-0 down to beat African champions Al Ahly 4-2 in Saturday's quarter-final.
Appearing in the competition for the second year running, Los Tuzos made up for the disappointment of losing out to Tunisian outfit Etoile Sportive du Sahel in the last eight a year ago.
Their star is midfielder Christian Gimenez, an Argentine free-kick specialist who scored twice against the Egyptians, and they are hoping to become the first team from outside Europe and South America to reach the final of the competition since it began in 2000.
"Everything is new for us from now on," said Gimenez. "The first game was important because it allowed us to get over our nerves, but things will be different against Quito.
"Our aim is to beat everyone and win the title and we are all dreaming about reaching the final."
"Quito have lost two of their most important players in Enrique Vera and Joffre Guerron, but they are still a very compact unit. They've held on to the core of the team that won the Copa Libertadores and this is bound to be a very tough game for us."
Bruno Marioni, one of three Argentinians in the Pachuca attack, agreed: "Liga are formidable rivals and to give ourselves a chance of winning we have to try and repeat what we did in the second half of our opening match."
"We can hardly wait to come up against the Copa Libertadores winners," added the Pachuca coach Enrique Meza.
"We're going to go toe-to-toe with them and may the best team win. We never lose our self-belief and we never stop battling."
At stake is a place in Sunday's final against Manchester United or Gamba Osaka.
amitten@thenational.ae
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The specs
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
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Dust storm
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'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
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
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
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Sri Lanka squad for tri-nation series
Angelo Mathews (c), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Asela Gunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Shehan Madushanka, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan and Wanidu Hasaranga
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Read more from Johann Chacko
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Ponti
Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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