Mbark Boussoufa, left, in action for Al Jazira against Real Madrid in the Fifa Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP
Mbark Boussoufa, left, in action for Al Jazira against Real Madrid in the Fifa Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP
Mbark Boussoufa, left, in action for Al Jazira against Real Madrid in the Fifa Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP
Mbark Boussoufa, left, in action for Al Jazira against Real Madrid in the Fifa Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP

Mbark Boussoufa: Al Jazira 'very proud' of effort against Real Madrid but focus is now on Pachuca


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

Mbark Boussoufa spoke of his pride in his teammates after Al Jazira’s valiant effort against world champions Real Madrid, but knows the UAE side must recover quickly if they are to seal third spot at the Fifa Club World Cup.

The Abu Dhabi club, making their debut in the tournament, put in an incredible performance in the semi-final at Zayed Sports City on Wednesday night, leading until the 53rd minute courtesy of Romarinho's first-half goal.

However, Madrid fought back after the break through Cristiano Ronaldo's strike and substitute Gareth Bale’s 81-minute effort.

The reigning Spanish and European champions, seeking to become the first team to successfully defend the Club World Cup, were made to work for the win more than many expected, with Jazira having a goal disallowed right at the beginning of the second half to make it 2-0.

__________________________________________

Read more:

__________________________________________

Although the decision proved correct, replays showed Boussoufa was only a fraction offside before slotting home Ali Mabkhout’s pass on the counter-attack.

Yet the Moroccan midfielder was honest enough afterwards to concede Jazira were fortunate to be leading in the first place, with Madrid laying siege to the UAE champions’ goal and Ali Khaseif, the national team goalkeeper, in outstanding form.

Jazira have little time, though, to dwell on what might have been. On Saturday, they take on Mexico's Pachuca at Zayed Sports City stadium in the play-off for third place.

“We did well, although we were lucky a couple of times,” Boussoufa said. “We could’ve made it even more difficult for them, but at the end of the day it’s well done for the players. Of course, if you play against this team Madrid, it’s a little bit different. But we can look at ourselves and be proud.”

Boussoufa was left to rue his disallowed goal in the 47th minute, which was ruled out only after the officials had consulted the Video Assistant Referee.

It was the second time on the night that the technology was called upon. On 30 minutes, Madrid had a goal chalked off when Karim Benzema was proved correctly to be in an offside position before Jazira defender Salim Rashid had put the ball into his own net.

Speaking about his own incident, Boussoufa said: “Maybe half my body was offside, but OK, you’ve got to respect the decision. The first half they also made a decision. We don’t know. These things happen and we have to trust the decisions that are made from above.

“It’s not easy because you think you’ve scored and suddenly the ref decides not to let it through. But this is football and we have to accept this.

“It would have been more difficult for them. But as a team of that quality, they create chances any minute, any time. They were a little bit unlucky in their finishing so you can look at it like that way, or different ways, like you said.

"But in the end they deserved maybe to go to the final and maybe we could’ve stole the win. But this is football. This is how it goes.”

Asked about now focusing on Pachuca, and the chance to take bronze at the weekend, Boussoufa added: “Everybody was excited to play and to watch this game and now we have a game in a couple of days. We didn’t really even think about the next game, but now, from tomorrow on, we have to think about that.

“Let’s go home first and relax after this a little bit. And tomorrow we can check on that. But the mood is good. I think the players can be very proud.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8 
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

Profile box

Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D 
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Avatar%3A%20The%20Way%20of%20Water
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last 16, first leg

Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight, Wednesday, BeIN Sports

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now