A new-look Tottenham slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Pacos de Ferreira of Portugal in their Europa Conference League play-off first leg on Thursday.
Coach Nuno Espirito Santo made 11 changes to the team that defeated champions Manchester City in their Premier League opener at the weekend.
Not surprisingly, it was a disjointed performance by the Londoners who were again without England star Harry Kane.
Three of Tottenham's summer signings started the game – goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini, defender Cristian Romero and winger Bryan Gil.
Teenagers Nile John and Dane Scarlett were handed chances to shine while identical twins Michael and Matthew Craig were on the bench.
Lucas Silva struck the only goal on the stroke of half-time for the home side.
The Brazilian striker, 23, signed from Flamengo last year, nipped in behind the Tottenham defence to slot home the chance.
"The decision was to try to give minutes to players, to get minutes on their legs and increase the levels of fitness," Nuno told the BBC.
"Of course, things take some time."
In Turkey, former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho enjoyed a winning start with Roma as the Italian side edged out Trabzonspor 2-1.
Mourinho fielded three new signings in his team and it was one of those, Eldor Shomurodov who grabbed the winner.
With 10 minutes left, the Uzbek striker, signed from Genoa in the summer, was fastest to react when a header from Gianluca Mancini came back off the post.
Lorenzo Pellegrini had given Roma a 55th-minute lead when Henrikh Mkhitaryan, another new arrival, played in the decisive pass.
The Turks were level 10 minutes later when substitute Andreas Cornelius headed in just moments after replacing Gervinho.
"This is not a Conference League level opponent. It felt more like a Champions League play-off," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia.
"They have a lot of experienced players. There was pressure and if anyone thought this would be easy, they were mistaken."
Elsewhere, Colombian striker Luis Sinisterra scored a hat-trick as 1970 European Cup winners Feyenoord trounced Elfsborg of Sweden 5-0.
In a tie featuring the most westerly club in a European top flight, Santa Clara of Portugal, who are based in the Azores, defeated Partizan Belgrade 2-1.
In the Europa League play-offs, Greek champions Olympiakos closed in on the group stage with a 3-0 home win over Slovan Bratislava.
Mady Camara, Pape Abou Cisse and an own goal from Vasil Bozhikov secured the victory.
Galatasaray, defeated in Champions League qualifying by PSV Eindhoven, drew 1-1 at Randers who were only sixth in the Danish league last season.
Antwerp endured a tough start to their campaign, losing 4-2 at Cypriot champions Omonia Nicosia.
Scottish champions Rangers edged out Alashkert of Armenia 1-0 at Ibrox having played the entire second half with 10 men following a red card for John Lundstram.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Ukraine%20exports
%3Cp%3EPresident%20Volodymyr%20Zelenskyy%20has%20overseen%20grain%20being%20loaded%20for%20export%20onto%20a%20Turkish%20ship%20following%20a%20deal%20with%20Russia%20brokered%20by%20the%20UN%20and%20Turkey.%3Cbr%3E%22The%20first%20vessel%2C%20the%20first%20ship%20is%20being%20loaded%20since%20the%20beginning%20of%20the%20war.%20This%20is%20a%20Turkish%20vessel%2C%22%20Zelensky%20said%2C%20adding%20exports%20could%20start%20in%20%22the%20coming%20days%22%20under%20the%20plan%20aimed%20at%20getting%20millions%20of%20tonnes%20of%20Ukrainian%20grain%20stranded%20by%20Russia's%20naval%20blockade%20to%20world%20markets.%3Cbr%3E%22Our%20side%20is%20fully%20prepared%2C%22%20he%20said.%20%22We%20sent%20all%20the%20signals%20to%20our%20partners%20--%20the%20UN%20and%20Turkey%2C%20and%20our%20military%20guarantees%20the%20security%20situation.%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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
