MANCHESTER // Mistakes are an occupational hazard for goalkeepers but the singular nature of their job means they tend to be both highlighted and costly. After arguably the finest month of his promising career, Joe Hart erred at Eastlands yesterday and, as a result, Manchester City slipped up.
In the wider picture, both Roberto Mancini and Fabio Capello, his respective managers for club and country, have been vindicated for installing Hart as their first choice. In Hart's defence, Kolo Toure was equally culpable for the goal gifted to Blackburn Rovers and the scorer, Nikola Kalinic, was subsequently denied a second by the City goalkeeper. Nevertheless, it was a day when the theory that England goalkeepers are cursed gained credence.
"This is a fluke," Mancini said. "Joe Hart is a good goalkeeper but it can happen in football."
Nevertheless, it was a calamitous goal to concede, one that was effectively presented to Blackburn in the 25th minute. Even the most partisan Rovers fan would struggle to argue it was created.
Instead, a volleyed clearance by Morten Gamst Pedersen was allowed to bounce, Kolo Toure left it to Hart, to the goalkeeper's surprise, and Kalinic dispossessed the former Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper before sliding the ball past the diving defender and in.
"The key element was Niko capitalising on their mistake," said Sam Allardyce, the Blackburn manager. "It was an unexpected opportunity to score and we are glad he took it."
That the loss of a goal - just the second conceded by City this season - was accompanied by the loss of two points was the consequence of missed chances as much as Hart's mishap. "We had 25 chances to score," said an irritated Mancini.
However, a draw against unfancied opponents provided unwanted echoes of City's home form last autumn and, albeit at an embryonic stage of the season, leaves them seven points off the pace in the Premier League title race. Patrick Vieira's 55th-minute equaliser apart, it was an afternoon of frustration for City.
Rovers' resistance reached its apogee in injury time when Gael Givet blocked from Carlos Tevez on the goal-line and, as Jo, a second-half substitute for Shaun Wright-Phillips, attempted to convert the rebound, Christopher Samba flung himself heroically in the way of the Brazilian's shot.
For the opening quarter of an hour and the last 35 minutes, the Blackburn defence were overworked. The goalkeeper to excel was Paul Robinson, who has made his share of high-profile mistakes but is undergoing a quiet rehabilitation in Lancashire. "He's played much better than that for us," Allardyce said. "We are very, very pleased with our team performance and we feel we have got what we deserved.
"The immense difference between the two clubs means we have measured up to somebody who should have brushed us aside today with the players they can afford and the wages they can pay. But I know a good, organised team with ability can cause an upset. For Manchester City and their fans, it was an upset."
For Mancini, it was disturbing. Following a bright beginning, his side were insipid after Kalinic struck, as though taken aback either by the goal or the manner of it. Once Tevez crossed and Vieira levelled from close range, urgency was restored to their game and Mancini's first two replacements, Gareth Barry and Jo, could each have won the game.
Inspiration, however, came from a familiar source. Adam Johnson maintained his stellar start to the season, evading would-be tacklers with ease and, twice, almost scoring. On each occasion, James Milner was the creator and theirs is a promising combination.
There is pride at Eastlands that they supplied six members of the England side to win in Switzerland on Tuesday. This, however, was not to be another heartening tale of the exploits of young Englishmen.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Motori Profile
Date started: March 2020
Co-founder/CEO: Ahmed Eissa
Based: UAE, Abu Dhabi
Sector: Insurance Sector
Size: 50 full-time employees (Inside and Outside UAE)
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Safe City Group
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3E%0DThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Addis%20Ababa%20with%20Ethiopian%20Airlines%20with%20return%20fares%20from%20Dh1%2C700.%20Nashulai%20Journeys%20offers%20tailormade%20and%20ready%20made%20trips%20in%20Africa%20while%20Tesfa%20Tours%20has%20a%20number%20of%20different%20community%20trekking%20tours%20throughout%20northern%20Ethiopia.%20%20The%20Ben%20Abeba%20Lodge%20has%20rooms%20from%20Dh228%2C%20and%20champions%20a%20programme%20of%20re-forestation%20in%20the%20surrounding%20area.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENomad%20Homes%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHelen%20Chen%2C%20Damien%20Drap%2C%20and%20Dan%20Piehler%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20and%20Europe%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20PropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2444m%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Acrew%20Capital%2C%2001%20Advisors%2C%20HighSage%20Ventures%2C%20Abstract%20Ventures%2C%20Partech%2C%20Precursor%20Ventures%2C%20Potluck%20Ventures%2C%20Knollwood%20and%20several%20undisclosed%20hedge%20funds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
