France 2-1 Republic of Ireland: Slow start, strong finish
The Stade des Lumieres in Lyon was stunned into silence after just two minutes of the hosts' round of 16 tie with the Republic of Ireland, who took the lead via a Robbie Brady penalty early on.
Ireland were terrific in the first half, limiting France to only a handful of half-chances as they remained calm, composed and disciplined in their defensive shape.
Didier Deschamps’ side were again disjointed and unconvincing in an attacking sense in the first period – that has been a theme of the tournament for France, who also started slowly against Romania and Albania – while Adil Rami was incredibly nervy and clumsy at the back.
Nevertheless, the French deserve credit for their blistering response after the interval, when the Republic of Ireland lost control and were blown away by the pre-tournament favourites.
Antoine Griezmann was central to his side’s revival, the Atletico Madrid striker excelling once he had been moved into the middle from the right flank. It was his brace that turned the game on its head, with France fully deserving their victory in the end.
Deschamps must be concerned by how poorly his players have performed in the first half of matches up to now, though, and France will have to find a way to put that right before it comes back to bite them.
Germany 3-0 Slovakia: Complete performance from world champions
This was one of the most complete displays of the competition up to now, with Germany fantastic in every department as they brushed Slovakia aside in Lille.
The world champions circulated the ball quickly and crisply as they began the match full of attacking intent, with centre-halves Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng helping to build moves from deep and full-backs Joshua Kimmich and Jonas Hector pushing on to provide width on both sides of the pitch.
There was plenty of fluidity to their movement and passing as Slovakia struggled to contain Joachim Low’s men, who could have been three or four goals up at the break.
A 2-0 lead after 45 minutes was still a very healthy position for Germany to be in, though, and while Slovakia rallied early in the second half they never really looked like getting back into the game.
The impressive Julian Draxler made it three shortly after the hour-mark, with the Germans taking the sting out of proceedings thereafter.
This was an ominous showing from a team that will take some stopping if they are able to maintain such a high level of performance going forward.
Hungary 0-4 Belgium: Wilmots’ men run riot
Belgium have come in for some deserved criticism at the Euros so far, but this was a devastating performance that underlined why, despite their faults, they could lift the trophy at the Stade de France next month.
Marc Wilmots’ side started brightly and simply grew stronger as the game wore on, with Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne particularly lively in the final third.
Throughout the competition, Belgium have shown themselves to be far more dangerous on the counter-attack than in phases of established possession, and that was the case again here as they sliced through a rather ambitious Hungary outfit at will.
Bernd Storck’s charges allowed their opponents plenty of space as they pushed men forward in an attempt to get back into the game after Toby Alderweireld’s early opener, with Belgium expertly exploiting the gaps by moving the ball forward quickly whenever they had the chance.
A disappointing 2-0 loss to Italy in their opening encounter led to the Belgians being widely written off, but perhaps that defeat was the best thing that could have happened to them, with expectations lowered as a direct result.
There is still a long way to go but Belgium certainly seem to be hitting form at the right time.
Player of the day
• Eden Hazard: one goal, one assist and, most importantly of all, one magnificent all-round performance.
Goal of the day
A slight deflection took some of the shine off Jerome Boateng’s volley in Germany’s defeat of Slovakia, but it was still a strike of fine technical quality.
Decision of the day
Selecting Julian Draxler ahead of Mario Gotze was a move that paid off handsomely for Germany boss Joachim Low.
Howler of the day
Olivier Giroud’s headed knockdown for Antoine Griezmann’s second goal was excellent, but Shane Duffy really should have handed the Arsenal striker onto centre-back partner Richard Keogh rather than follow him and leave Griezmann free.
Statistic of the day
Eden Hazard has supplied three assists at Euro 2016, the same amount he managed for Chelsea in their entire 2015/16 Premier League campaign.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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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
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
FIGHT CARD
Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)
Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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 National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
