Juventus, Roma and Napoli hit 11 goals between them to deliver a blow to pursuers Fiorentina and Verona as Milan were stunned 4-3 thanks to four goals from teenage striker Domenico Berardi on Sunday.
Juventus had been looking for a club record of 11 successive wins and despite conceding a 21st minute opener to Mauricio Pinilla the champions fought back in clinical fashion with Fernando Llorente netting twice in a 4-1 win at Cagliari.
Antonio Conte said he was “proud” to become the first Juve coach to reach the milestone, but added to Sky Sport Italia: “I thanked all of the team for helping us reach this milestone but we have to try and extend this streak or another side will try to overtake us.”
Roma began the day eight points behind leaders Juve but had little trouble dispatching Genoa, who were reduced to 10 men before the hour, 4-0.
Alessandro Florenzi led the rout with a sublime overhead kick, with further goals coming courtesy of club captain Francesco Totti, Maicon and Mehdi Benatia.
Totti, hitting his first goal in nine months, hailed Juve’s campaign but said the title race was not over.
“Juventus are the reigning champions and they’re almost a class apart, but we have a strong side that won’t quit. Until the very end, we will be giving them a hard time,” Totti told Sky Sport Italia.
Napoli were two points further adrift but despite a potentially tricky fixture returned from high-flying Verona with a precious 3-0 win.
Napoli coach Rafael Benitez suggested the scoreline flattered his side, which is still missing Marek Hamsik, Juan Zuniga and goalkeeper Pepe Reina among others, due to injury.
“It was a difficult game but we showed that we are a strong team,” said the Spaniard, admitting their next major aim comes at home to Roma, on March 9.
“The home game against Roma is our next major objective but we have our own path set out and we’ll see where it takes us.”
In Sunday’s late game Japan international Keisuke Honda came off the bench to make his debut for Milan only to see the struggling Serie A giants stunned 4-3 away to Sassuolo, with all four of the hosts’ goals coming from teenage striker Domenico Berardi.
Robinho gave Milan a ninth-minute lead, beating Gianluca Pegolo with a low angled strike at the keeper’s far post and Mario Balotelli made it 2-0 four minutes later.
Sassuolo, however, had other ideas, showing great resolve to reduce their two-goal deficit within 13 minutes thanks to Berardi, who completed his hat-trick on 41 minutes and hit his fourth minutes after the restart.
“It’s a match I won’t ever forget,” said 19-year-old Berardi, who is on loan from Juventus but quickly dedicated his feat to Sassuolo coach Eusebio Di Francesco.
“He took us from Serie B to Serie A, and has a big heart just like the rest of us.”
Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri sent on Honda 20 minutes into the second half and the Japanese saw a header from a cross on the left blocked by Pegolo and then struck the post with a first-time curling effort from the edge of the area.
Milan were given a glimmer of hope five minutes from the finish when Ricardo Montolivo collected Nigel De Jong’s ball in midfield and struck a long-distance drive which beat Pegolo low at his far post.
But Milan spurned another late chance when Balotelli’s header at the back post was punched out by Pegolo and Giampaolo Pazzini followed up by sending the rebound against the crossbar.
“It’s a terrible defeat for us, we just weren’t good in defence,” said Allegri. “Perhaps we were a bit unlucky at the end but it’s a match to forget.”
Milan remain 11th, now 30 points behind Juve and 20 behind Napoli in the first Champions League qualifying spot.
Allegri came under attack from club vice CEO Barbara Berlusconi on Sunday after the stunning loss.
Allegri led the club to the Serie A title in his first season in charge in 2011 but, for the second consecutive season, Milan are well behind the league pacesetters.
After Sunday’s reverse, Milan remained 11th but are 30 points adrift of leaders Juventus and 20 behind Napoli, who occupy the last Champions League qualifying spot, in third.
Berlusconi, the daughter of club owner and president Silvio Berlusconi, launched a scathing attack on club CEO Adriano Galliani prior to Christmas which prompted the official to offer his resignation before backpedalling.
After Sunday’s reverse, Berlusconi said an “urgent change” was needed at the helm of the seven-time European champions.
“A disappointing night, just like others, which confirms that a change is necessary and urgent,” Berlusconi was quoted as saying on ANSA, the domestic news agency.
“We can no longer tolerate the fact that our fans have to put up with performances like these.”
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
Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
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
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
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
