Emmanuel Riviere scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Monaco over Ajaccio on Sunday. Valery Hache / AFP
Emmanuel Riviere scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Monaco over Ajaccio on Sunday. Valery Hache / AFP
Emmanuel Riviere scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Monaco over Ajaccio on Sunday. Valery Hache / AFP
Emmanuel Riviere scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for Monaco over Ajaccio on Sunday. Valery Hache / AFP

Monaco survive ‘complicated and difficult’ match over Ajaccio to go second in Ligue 1


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Emmanuel Riviere scored his eighth goal of the season to give Monaco a 1-0 win over 10-man Ajaccio on Sunday and cut the gap on Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain to two points.

Riviere struck in the 75th minute as Monaco replaced Lille, who had lost 1-0 at Bordeaux earlier in the day, in second spot.

PSG stayed top on Saturday with a 5-0 demolition of rock-bottom Sochaux.

“The matches are always complicated and difficult,” said Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri.

“Ajaccio played very deep but I saw that we had a desire to win. I am satisfied with three points.”

With top scorer Radamel Falcao out of action with a thigh strain for a third successive match, Monaco’s scoring onus once again fell on the shoulders of his Colombian compatriot James Rodriguez who had netted twice in his last two games.

But it was Anthony Martial who had the first shot on target after 16 minutes with the teenager’s fierce drive well-saved by Ajaccio’s Mexican goalkeeper Francisco Ochoa.

Ivory Coast striker Gadji Celi Carmen Junior had Ajaccio’s first attempt on goal after 30 minutes, but Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic saved well.

Martial again came close early in the second half but a diving header went just wide.

Ajaccio’s task became even tougher just after the hour mark when Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi was red-carded for a foul on Rodriguez.

Once Riviere had grabbed the deserved lead, Monaco twice came close to increasing their lead with Rodriguez and Portuguese international Joao Moutinho both denied by the woodwork from free-kicks.

Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama’s run of not conceding a goal ended after 1,062 minutes on Sunday with an own goal by Lille team-mate Simon Kjaer in the clash with Bordeaux.

The Danish defender deflected a harmless looking shot by Bordeaux’s Landry N’Guemo which tantalisingly hit the post before entering the net in the 28th minute.

It was the first time Enyeama had had to pick the ball out of his net since September 15 in the 2-0 defeat by Nice.

It also proved to be the only goal of the game.

Enyeama had been closing in on the overall Ligue 1 record of 1176 minutes held by Gaetan Huard for Bordeaux during the 1992-93 campaign.

Lyon also travelled to Bastia, winning 3-1 and Montpellier drew Toulouse away 1-1.

On Saturday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice and created two goals as PSG routed Sochaux.

The big Swede took his league goals tally to 13 thanks to an all-round masterclass which helped PSG quickly recover from their midweek loss to Evian in what was their first defeat of the season.

That setback ended PSG’s 36-match undefeated run and it was Sochaux who were cast in the role of fall guys on Saturday.

Ibrahimovic scored twice in the last five minutes after Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani, with his 11th of the season, had also hit the target.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc praised the tireless workload of Ibrahimovic and Cavani.

“They play a lot but they are the major players in our team,” said Blanc.

“All big clubs need their most important players. There are just two more matches until the winter break and the league is our objective as we have already done our work in the Champions League (PSG are certain of a last 16 place).

“I will try to put together the best team possible to take the points in these two league games.”

Earlier Saturday, flagging Marseille sacked manager Elie Baup, the dismissal coming at the end of a week when the south coast club suffered two successive Ligue 1 defeats.

The Velodrome club’s sporting director Jose Anigo, a former manager, will assume temporary control up to the French league’s winter break.

The Equaliser 2

Director Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders

Three stars

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15

Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered

UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered

Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered

Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered

Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered

Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Tips to avoid getting scammed

1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday

2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment

3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone

4) Try not to close the sale at night

5) Don't be rushed into a sale 

6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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The biog

Name: Mariam Ketait

Emirate: Dubai

Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language

Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown

Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures

Key recommendations
  • Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
  • Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
  • Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
  • More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.