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.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
Naga
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The biog
Name: Greg Heinricks
From: Alberta, western Canada
Record fish: 56kg sailfish
Member of: International Game Fish Association
Company: Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
Du Plessis plans his retirement
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.
Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.
"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday.
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
