Sharjah's hopes of reaching the AFC Asian Champions League knockout round were dealt a huge blow Tuesday as the UAE club lost 3-1 to Al Rayyan of Qatar 3-1 at the King Fahd International Stadium.
The defending champions Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia thumped the winless Istiklol of Turkmenistan 3-0 to take their tally to a perfect 12 points. Rayyan's win takes them second on seven points followed by Sharjah on four with only two games to go.
It means Sharjah would realistically have to win their remaining games and hope Rayyan drop points to hope to qualify as one of the best runners-up in the group phase.
Rayyan took the lead on 12 minutes when Mohammed Jumaa’s cross was deflected into his own net by Sharjah defender Salem Sultan.
Sharjah responded in spectacular fashion when a moment of individual brilliance by Caio Lucas put the UAE Pro League side back into the game six minutes later.
The Brazilian ran down the middle before sending a curling effort from inside the area to beat the Rayyan goalkeeper Fahad Younis.
Caio failed to almost added to his tally on the half-hour but sent his effort just over the crossbar, while Rayyan’s Yohan Boli saw his close range effort saved by goalkeeper Adel Al Hosani eight minutes later.
Rayyan’s regained the lead in the 39th minute when Steven N'zonzi headed in Yacine Brahimi’s corner.
Sharjah started the second half aggressively but couldn’t convert their chances with Salem Saleh seeing his effort saved from inside the box while Otabek Shukurov botched his effort moments later.
Luanzinho conceded a penalty after bringing down Hashim Ali inside the area for Brahimi to step forward and coolly convert from the spot to just past the hour to make it 3-1 to Rayyan.
Sharjah next face Hilal on Saturday while Rayyan meet Istiklol on the same night.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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
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.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Specs
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