VALENCIA, Spain // Cristiano Ronaldo headed home the winner in extra-time as Real Madrid ended an 18-year Copa del Rey trophy drought with a 1-0 victory over biggest rival Barcelona on Wednesday.
Ronaldo guided Angel Di Maria's 103rd-minute cross back across goal and past the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto into the top corner as Real won silverware for the first time since a 2008 Spanish league title.
"It was a very tough game, Barcelona played very well, but, as you know, whoever scores, wins," said Ronaldo, who won his first title since joining Real last season. "We are very happy, Madrid had not won this cup for many years."
Real dominated the first half and then relied on goalkeeper Iker Casillas' second-half stops as Barca took control after the restart in an electric atmosphere at the Mestalla Stadium.
Real's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho bowed before King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia as he received his mini-trophy while Casillas hugged the pair before using the king as support to climb up on a support and hoist the club's 18th domestic cup win high.
"A great game of football," Mourinho said after bringing silverware to the club in his first season to end a six-game winless run against Barca, which lost for only the 10th time in its 35th final appearance. "The title isn't mine, it's everyone's. After so long without the Copa del Rey, it's something nice."
Barca failed with a trophy on the line for the first time under coach Pep Guardiola.
"It's always better to win than lose but we have to recover because that's life. Life has its knocks too," Guardiola said. "Will we pick ourselves up from this? Of course."
Barca, which closed in on the league title with a 1-1 draw against Real on Saturday, gets its first chance next Wednesday when the pair meet for the first of a two-legged Champions League semifinal.
The winning goal came from an incisive attack by Real. Fullback Marcelo played Di Maria into the left side of the area and the Argentina forward beat Daniel Alves to the perfectly-weighted ball to find Ronaldo at the far post for the winner at the site of both clubs' last cup win - Real over Zaragoza and Barca over Athletic Bilbao in 2009.
Real's players were heading back to the Spanish capital to celebrate at the Plaza de Cibeles, its traditional spot, although a late night was not expected.
"We're not going to celebrate so much - we're all dead tired," defender Alvaro Arbeloa said.
The charged atmosphere for the ninth cup final at the Mestalla might have played a hand in a frantic and physical first half dominated by Real, which disrupted Barca's cool with constant pressure. The Catalans didn't manage a single shot on goal until the second half as it abandoned its slick passing game for long balls at times.
With Javier Mascherano filling in for Carles Puyol at centerback, Barca's defence looked unsure as Real repeatedly won back possession with constant upfield pressure.
And Real created chances on the break as expected with Mesut Oezil picking up where he left off in Saturday's 1-1 draw by creating Real's best opportunities including in the 36th when he set up Ronaldo for a shot Pinto saved.
"They played similar (to Saturday's game)- they changed players but the concept was pretty much the same as the Bernabeu," Guardiola said. "With such great teams it's the details that make the difference."
The bruising matchup led to a number of run-ins between players who normally represent Spain together, with David Villa and Alvaro Arbeloa exchanging shoves, while even a frustrated Lionel Messi had trouble hiding his emotions as the acrimonious rivalry bubbled up with silverware on the line. Barca had won three of the five previous cup finals between the two before this one, including the last one in 1990.
Barca - which watched Pepe's header come off the post just before the break - was more composed after the restart as it worked the ball and rediscovered the possession game that helps them thrive, with Villa threatening.
Mourinho, meanwhile, screamed at Ronaldo for skirting his defensive duties while Messi was booked for blocking a free kick in the 64th as the teams' two stars - who have now combined for 90 goals this season - found it hard to show off their offensive talents.
"We wanted him to participate in areas where we want him to be involved," Guardiola said of Messi after he was again stymied by a Mourinho gameplan. "He's so important for us."
The Barca half of the stadium exploded in the 69th but Pedro's goal was chalked off for offside before Casillas shined.
The Spain 'keeper dived to keep out Messi's low screamer and then swatted away Pedro's top corner bound curler away in the 75th. Casillas again stood tall in the 81st after tipping Andres Iniesta's shot wide of the post.
"We prove to everyone we can beat any team we want," said Casillas after winning the only club trophy missing from his cabinet of silverware.
With Barca dominating, Madrid nearly scored an injury-time winner but Pinto - usually a backup except for cup games - tipped Di Maria's rising shot over the bar before Ronaldo beat Pinto in the 98th but flashed wide of the far post.
Ronaldo was quick in the 118th as he jumped to Emmanuel Adebayor's tipped shot but his shot was deflected high as Real withstood Di Maria's sending off in the 120th - as Real finished with 10 men against Barca for the second time in five days - to win in front of over 52,000 fans.
Casillas added Mestalla's smaller dimensions also helped Real contain Barca.
"We don't know any other way (of playing)," Alves said. "We leave with a bittersweet taste but with our heads held very high."
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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
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Fixtures
Sunday, December 8, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v USA
Monday, December 9, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – USA v Scotland
Wednesday, December 11, Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE v Scotland
Thursday, December 12, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v USA
Saturday, December 14, ICC Academy, Dubai – USA v Scotland
Sunday, December 15, ICC Academy, Dubai – UAE v Scotland
Note: All matches start at 10am, admission is free
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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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
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
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SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free