Over the past year, Emirates, the little side from Ras al Khaimah, have shown a remarkable capacity for rising up to smite their putative betters in big competitions.
Last April, they shocked UAE football by defeating the Dubai side Al Shabab 3-1 in the President's Cup final even as they were being relegated from the Pro League. Then, in August, they provided a stunning opening to the current season by beating Al Wahda, the league champions, by the same score in the Super Cup.
The windmills Emirates are tilting at now are some of the biggest clubs in western Asia, and again they are holding their own. They have led in all four Asian Champions League matches they have played, winning two, and they could clinch a berth in the knockout phase if they can win at home tonight against Zob Ahan of Iran.
They are on six points in Group D with two matches left, behind leaders Zob Ahan (10) and ahead of the Saudi Arabian side Al Shabab (five).
Emirates are unlikely to be intimidated by Zob Ahan despite the Esfahan side's status as ACL runners-up in 2010 and current third-best club in the well-regarded Iran Pro League.
When Nabil Daoudi scored for Emirates against Zob Ahan in March, the strike seemed to announce that Emirates were not going to melt away despite being the only second-division side in the tournament, and the Iranian club's appearance at the Emirates pitch tonight could bring out a capacity crowd of 6,000.
Ghazi Ghrairi's Emirates side have been led in the attack by the international forwards Daoudi, from Morocco, and the Algerian Hadj Bougueche, who between them have five goals. The Algerian playmaker Karim Kerkar also has been important.
Aside from a 4-1 defeat away to Al Shabab, which Emirates avenged 2-1 last month, the RAK club have been stingy in defence, conceding only three goals in three matches.
Their depth and resolve will be tested tonight, however, as they line up without the suspended defenders Mustafa al Saedi and Hadef al Zaabi.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
5.35pm, Abu Dabi Sports
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MATCH INFO
Al Jazira 3 (O Abdulrahman 43', Kenno 82', Mabkhout 90 4')
Al Ain 1 (Laba 39')
Red cards: Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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 years Ramadan fell in May
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
