With his Bayern Munich team chasing a historic fourth straight Bundesliga title, Pep Guardiola is feeling the pressure from nearest rivals Borussia Dortmund in the wake of Saturday's goalless draw.
The much-anticipated clash of Germany’s giants finished goalless in the electric atmosphere of Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park in front of 81,359 fans.
But although Bayern remain five points clear of Dortmund, Guardiola’s team has taken just a point from their last two games after Wednesday’s shock 2-1 defeat at home Mainz.
Despite the healthy lead, Guardiola clearly sees Dortmund as a threat to his plans.
The 45-year-old wants to sign off his three years with Bayern by seeing the club become the first to win four straight German league titles.
“For us every game is a final now, we want to win (the title). So it goes on,” said Guardiola, whose team won the title two years ago with a record seven games left.
“The second-half was good, we had enough goal chances to win the game, but Dortmund are a strong team.
“They are the second-best team of all-time in Germany.
“In the first 20 minutes, we had a few problems, but we improved.
“Of course we wanted to win, but the 0-0 is okay.”
Guardiola singled out the performance of Joshua Kimmich, 21, who has been converted from a defensive midfielder to a centre-back after a string of injuries.
“I love Joshua Kimmich, he has the will, the passion, he has absolutely everything,” said Guardiola, who will coach Manchester City next season.
“With players like him, you can win everything.”
The result offers Dortmund hope.
“We played very well in the first half and we didn’t lose our shape in defence over the 90 minutes,” said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel.
“Bottom line is that it was a goalless draw and I am very happy with the performance the team delivered.”
The game’s best chance came on 64 minutes when Arturo Vidal’s shot was palmed onto the bar by a reflex-save from Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki.
“There are mixed feelings, I did a few things well, but you can always improve,” said Burki.
“In spite of the result, I am proud of the team and that we kept Bayern to zero.”
Bayern captain Philipp Lahm said he was pleased to be leaving Dortmund with a point, having said a week ago that he hoped to depart the Ruhr with an 11-point lead.
“It could have been 2-2 at end of the first half. I think we had the better of the chances overall, but the draw is fair,” said Lahm.
“We are five points clear with nine games left, so there is still a long way to go and everything is in our hands.”
Bayern striker Thomas Muller echoed Guardiola’s sentiments that each league game is now a ‘mini’ final for the Bavarian side.
“It remains exciting and we’re under pressure now for every Bundesliga game, which is how we must go into each league match,” said Muller.
“The rest of our Bundesliga matches will be like mini finals now.”
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
Results
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Ziyadd, Richard Mullen (jockey), Jean de Roualle (trainer).
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
Winner: Secret Advisor, Tadhg O’Shea, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Plata O Plomo, Carlos Lopez, Susanne Berneklint.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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