Yemen earning two points from three games was a bit of a shock but there is little doubt as to who has been the surprise team of the tournament.
Oman’s 5-0 thrashing of Kuwait made the rest of the tournament take notice as they knocked the nine-time champions out of the competition on the way to finishing top of Group B.
They had performed well enough in a 0-0 draw with the UAE in the first match and came back strongly to share the spoils with Iraq after falling behind.
But what came next was out of the blue.
Oman tore through Kuwait, whose defeat is already being called the most shameful in their Gulf Cup history by the country’s press.
Suddenly, Oman go into Sunday’s semi-final against Qatar as favourites to meet the winner of the UAE or Saudi Arabia in Wednesday’s final.
Read more: Gulf Cup expectations are high in a familiar setting for UAE
Qatar have been nowhere near as impressive as their opponents over the past week, scraping into the last four thanks to two scoreless draws against Yemen and Bahrain after the opening day 1-1 draw against the hosts.
Their form will hold no fear for the rampant Omanis who showed in their match against Kuwait that big reputations mean nothing at this stage.
With few fans to back them and such a distinctly uninspiring run of form, Qatar will be looking to quieten the loud Omani contingent off the pitch and hope to hit the 11 on it on the break.
The longer they keep the Omanis at bay the better their chances and manager Djamel Belmadi would prefer if the match went to extra time.
Paul Le Guen and his men have lost the element of surprise, but they will likely stick to the policy that served them well against Kuwait – attack, attack, attack.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
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Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
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FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
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Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
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One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
