TASHKENT // Hello, London! Get ready to welcome the UAE football team for the Summer Olympics.
Ahmed Khalil scored two astonishing goals and Haboush Saleh grabbed the late winner as the UAE mounted a pulsating comeback from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 versus Uzbekistan, and win Asia's Group B advance to London 2012.
It will be the UAE's first participation in the Olympic football tournament, and ranks as the biggest achievement by Emirati footballers since they reached the 1990 World Cup.
Fozil Musaev's headed goal in the 46th minute gave the Uzbeks a 2-0 lead, and their fervid supporters in the packed out JAR Stadium had to be looking forward to the Summer Games.
But then came that man Khalil. The Al Ahli striker halved the deficit with a laser-guided free kick into the side netting from 20 yards.
The knot of Emirati supporters had hardly finished celebrating that 50th-minute goal when Khalil and Omar Abdulrahman collaborated for the equaliser in the 54th. It was Abdulrahman who flicked on a cross from the left, knowing that Khalil was behind him, and the forward's first touch, from 20 yards, beat the goalkeeper to his left.
And it was so quiet in JAR Stadium, you could almost hear a nation's hopes hit the ground.
The first half was not as frenetic. Uzbekistan took the lead in the 33rd minute after an inelegant sequence that pulled apart the UAE defence. A shot by the big striker Ivan Nagaev was deflected, and the ball fell about 20 yards to his left, at the feet of Oleg Zejeev, who was unmarked.
With Khalid Essa, the UAE goalkeeper, off his line, Zejeev recognised his opportunity and took a step or two before letting fly a shot. It was not struck well, but Essa could not reach it, and neither could the centre-back Mohammaed Ahmed, who nearly caught up to it at the goal line.
The goal seemed not quite fair, given the UAE's dominance of the ball and technical superiority. Abdulrahman and Khalil had been the best players on the pitch till that point, but the slippery turf, which tended to come up in long, ragged strips because of rain the previous night, seemed to keep the UAE from getting a good look at the goal.
By half time, the identity of the other two second-place teams had been established: Oman out of Group A and Syria from Group C.
Those two will meet in Hanoi on March 25 in the first match of the three-team Asia play-off for fourth place. Uzebekistan, the runners-up from Group B will get into action on March 27, and play again on March 29.
The leaders in the table from the round-robin tournament go on to an April match in Coventry, England, with Senegal, the No 4 team out of Africa, and the winner of that one-off also qualifies for London 2012.
The men's Olympic football tournament begins on July 27, two days ahead of Opening Ceremonies. The UAE will be one of only 16 teams playing in it.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Twin%20electric%20motors%20and%20105kWh%20battery%20pack%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E619hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C015Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUp%20to%20561km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ3%20or%20Q4%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh635%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
Brief scores:
Southampton 2
Armstrong 13', Soares 20'
Manchester United 2
Lukaku 33', Herrera 39'
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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
