Al Shabab win game but fall in GCC Club Cup on aggregate

AL SHABAB 3 SAHAM 1

Al Shabab - Villanueva 32', Dahi 35', 58' Saham - Jauhar 44'

Red cards - Qassim (Al Shabab)

Man of the match - Sulaiman Al Bariki (Al Shabab)

4-4 on aggregate; Saham win 5-4 on penalties

DUBAI // Al Shabab's hopes of salvaging their season in the GCC Club Cup Championship came to naught Tuesday night, despite a strong effort that saw the Dubai club force the game into extra time before the Omani club Saham won 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out.

Winners by 3-1 at home in the first leg of the semi-final last week, Saham scored a crucial away goal a minute before the break after Carlos Villanueva and Esam Dahi had given Shabab a 2-0 lead, but Dahi struck for a second time to make it 3-1 for Shabab in the 58th minute and level the aggregate score at 4-4.

Five minutes before Dahi’s second of the night, Shabab were reduced to 10 men following Mahmoud Qassim’s second booking, but with Saham unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority in regulation time, and missing a penalty in the second minute of injury time, the tie had to be decided on penalties. The Omani goalkeeper Sulaiman Al Bariki made two stops to take his team into the final.

Saham now await the winner of the second semi-final, where Al Nasr meet another Omani club, Al Nahda, in the second leg in Dubai tonight. The first leg in Muscat last week ended 1-1.

“Nobody expected our team to progress beyond the group stages to reach the final,” said Abdulrazzak Khairy, the Saham coach.

“So we have done a really great job and I congratulate everyone involved. Let’s hope we can go on to win the final as well.

“This is a really good result for Omani football. In 25 years, no Omani team has won the title. So let’s hope we have an all-Oman final.”

For Shabab, who slipped from second to finish fourth in the Arabian Gulf League standings after managing two points from their last six games, it was a disappointing end to the season, but coach Marcos Paqueta was pleased with the way his players fough.

“I want to congratulate my players,” he said.

“They showed a lot of courage and fought a lot, even after we lost one player.

“So while I am not happy with our exit from the tournament, I am really pleased with the effort of the players and their attitude tonight.”

arizvi@thenational.ae

War and the virus

Simon Rushton: War vet raises £12m for health workers

Day 2, stumps

Pakistan 482

Australia 30/0 (13 ov)

Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings

Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule

12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)

2pm Formula One final practice

5pm Formula One qualifying

6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)

Find the right policy for you

Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.

Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.

Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.

Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.

If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.

Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.

Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”

Al Shabab win game but fall in GCC Club Cup on aggregate

Al Shabab’s hopes of salvaging their season in the GCC Club Cup Championship came to naught Tuesday night, despite a strong effort that saw the Dubai club force the game into extra time before the Omani club Saham won 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out.

War and the virus

Day 2, stumps

Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule

Find the right policy for you