It was never going to be just, as Gareth Bale kept insisting, about he versus Cristiano Ronaldo.
But chances were, if there was to be a single match-winner, an ice-breaker, in Wales against Portugal, it was likely to be one of the two superstars.
Wales' best attempts at goal, as they reached for the improbable dream of a place in the Euro 2016 final, came from Bale, but the best of those were too late, with too tall a mountain left to climb. And Wales' best attempts at goal were few and not too threatening.
Ronaldo’s Portugal deserve their place at Saint-Denis on Sunday, to take on France or Germany in the final and aim for a first major international title for a country who have been close before.
It will be, perhaps, their penultimate chance to achieve the sort of prize while their nation’s greatest ever player is still near his peak.
More Portugal
• Report: Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani send Portugal into Euro 2016 final
• In pictures: Cristiano Ronaldo, with help from Nani, wins Real Madrid battle over Gareth Bale
Cristiano Ronaldo, 31, scored the goal, the first in a 2-0 win in their semi-final against Wales, that guided Portugal to the final, putting behind him the doubts that rose up during a tournament that has not always seen him at his best. For a split-second, for his brilliant soaring header to score just after half-time, it glimpsed vintage CR7, and he was charged up enough in the moments after the goal to help set up the second.
Wales may be novices in this environment, but they did not play like that, even as the second-best team in Lyon. The vigilance this mature, self-aware Wales applied to Ronaldo was generally high. Sometimes it was close to the edge of legality.
The Portugal skipper had on his much-practised face of outrage early in the contest after falling to the ground after he was the target of a cross. James Collins had been his marker in the jostling, and Ronaldo’s gripe was that Collins had an arm wrapped about the striker’s shoulders.
Moments later, it was the attentions of James Chester that bothered him. Chester had taken no risks, though. Ronaldo’s mood had darkened before the 15th minute, and when Chester, again tight to his man as Ronaldo sought to put himself in the best position to meet an Adrien Silva centre, caused sufficient nuisance to prevent Ronaldo getting the right height and angle on his header, it meant Ronaldo was destined to go in at half-time frustrated.
Goals, and menace, have been intermittent from Ronaldo during much of Euro 2016.
He was not fully fit at the end of the league season, a long one, which carried on all the way to the Champions League final, which he won with Real Madrid, and an ultimately frustrating but neck-and-neck chase for the La Liga title.
But give him the right cross, and the chance to fly at it, with the full, elastic spring of those powerful thighs, and he is lethal with his forehead.
Four minutes after the half-time break, Chester gave him too much room, Raphael Guerreiro gave him a wonderful, slightly curling cross from close to the corner flag, and, boom, Portugal were ahead.
Three minutes later, Wales were in the deepest valley despair of what has been a magical month in France for them. The Ronaldo header, majestically converted, had left Wales indignant because they felt the corner from which Guerreiro, receiving the ball short, had crossed, was preceded by a foul on one of their men.
The next goal, from Nani, left them feel doubly wronged. They sensed that Renato Sanches may have been offside when Nani diverted a long-range Ronaldo drive past Wayne Hennessey. They were entitled to feel unlucky even without the offside suspicion. Hennessey had Ronaldo’s shot covered. The Nani intervention, instinctive, changed the angle haphazardly.
An untidy goal, in a way, but Portugal had earned their luck.
They had pushed forward, their tails up. Ronaldo was buoyant. He later struck a direct free-kick that arched just over Hennessey’s crossbar.
Chances were mounting as Wales were obliged to tilt the balance of their side, three attacking players, Simon Church, Sam Vokes and Jonny Williams brought on. The sacrifice was to their well-organised defensive shape. Danilo was permitted a surge from deep midfield to plant a shot that Hennessey struggled to keep from crossing the Wales goal-line.
If Wales were to stage an improbable comeback, it would not, most likely, be inspired by the likes of Church, Vokes or the diminutive Jonny Williams.
It would have to be Bale. The Madrid man did his best, two firm shots from distance pouched by Rui Patricio in the Portugal goal.
In truth, Wales needed a Bale up front, plus a Bale supplying passes from midfield and another Bale streaking down the flanks to make up the deficit.
And they only have one man of his stature, for all their big hearts and wise heads.
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ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Ferrari
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Mann%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adam%20Driver%2C%20Penelope%20Cruz%2C%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Patrick%20Dempsey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD%204
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'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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