Al Nasr celebrate defeating Al Ahli in the President's Cup final match at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on June 3, 2015. Christopher Pike / The National
Al Nasr celebrate defeating Al Ahli in the President's Cup final match at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on June 3, 2015. Christopher Pike / The National

Al Nasr end 26-year wait and beat Al Ahli in penalty shootout to hoist President’s Cup trophy



AL AIN // Ivan Jovanovic struggled to watch, pitched yards away from where the Al Nasr bench lined the touchline, arms wrapped around one another and with nerves frayed.

The Serbian coach had witnessed his side prevail on penalties during the President’s Cup semi-final only days previously, but here they were, at the UAE’s gleaming Hazza bin Zayed Stadium contesting the country’s most coveted prize.

Oussama Assaidi, Luis Jimenez and Abdelaziz Sanquor all missed from the spot for Al Ahli, soon to depart Al Ain beaten and broken.

Nasr, though, stood strong: first Pablo Hernandez, then Renan Garcia, then Ibrahima Toure. With three swipes of the boot, a 26-year wait was consigned to history; Nasr had a fourth President’s Cup.

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Finally, blue is the colour. Jovanovic, last seen mobbed by members of his back-room staff as the rest rushed onto the pitch, emerged post-celebrations with pride etched across his face.

“I believe as a team that we absolutely deserved to win this cup,” he said. “Because if you see the teams we had to qualify against, after we played against opponents like Sharjah, Al Ain, Al Shabab and today, Al Ahli, the value of this cup is great. I must congratulate the efforts of my players, they did a very big job.”

For the majority of normal time, it appeared not to be enough. Contesting their third successive President’s Cup final, Ahli seemed set to seal the trophy for a record ninth time when Ahmed Khalil headed them in front on 36 minutes. From there, they dominated possession, always carried the greater threat.

Nasr had struggled to penetrate Ahli until right at the death, but were gifted a lifeline once Kwon Kyung-won sliced Ahmed Ibrahim’s cross into his own goal. There was one minute of normal time remaining; it was Nasr’s first attempt on target.

Extra time negotiated in devilishly draining conditions, Nasr proved spotless from the spot. Not that it looked it at the time, but Jovanovic thought the outcome was never in doubt.

“I know in a penalty shoot-out you cannot predict what will happen,” he said. “But as team we showed throughout the game that we had confidence. And I was calm because I knew that before and during the game we had done what we could as a team.

“If you want something you have to suffer the consequences. The final is only one game and it doesn’t mean that the team with more quality will win. But the team who wanted it more won this cup.”

So last year’s GCC Clubs Cup champions, and this season’s Arabian Gulf Cup winners, now have a third crown to cradle. In two seasons with Nasr, Jovanovic has turned a club without a trophy in 25 years into silverware specialists. The next step? Well, there is only one way to go from here.

“When a coach wins trophies like the Gulf Cup, the League Cup and then President’s Cup with his team, the next one is the league,” said Jovanovic, whose counterpart Cosmin Olaroiu did not speak after the game.

“All these trophies can only make Al Nasr stronger to try and win more titles, to compete for the league.

“As a coach, and as a team, we need to make the next step and that’s build a side that can try to win the league. All together, we’re going to do our best to make the team stronger for next season.”

Thanks to the victory, next season includes a return to the Asian Champions League, too. Another fresh target, it was lost in the hullabaloo that followed.

“Ah, I forgot the President’s Cup gave us the Champions League,” Jovanovic said when reminded. “I’m more happy now.”

jmcauley@thenational.ae

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Du Plessis plans his retirement

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.

Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.

"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday. 

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

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Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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

Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.

  • It’s So Easy
  • Mr Brownstone
  • Chinese Democracy
  • Welcome to the Jungle
  • Double Talkin’ Jive
  • Better
  • Estranged
  • Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
  • Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
  • Rocket Queen
  • You Could Be Mine
  • Shadow of Your Love
  • Attitude (Misfits cover)
  • Civil War
  • Coma
  • Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
  • Sweet Child O’ Mine
  • Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
  • Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
  • November Rain
  • Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
  • Nightrain

Encore:

  • Patience
  • Don’t Cry
  • The Seeker (The Who cover)
  • Paradise City
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Gremio 1 Pachuca 0

Gremio Everton 95’

Scotland's team:

15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell

Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
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  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

Brief scores:

Day 2

England: 277 & 19-0

West Indies: 154

The biog

Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer

Marital status: Single

Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran

Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food

Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish

Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT

2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals

2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals

2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals

Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

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MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
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