Shabab Al Ahli remained on course for a place in the AFC Asian Champions League round of 16 with victory over Ahal of Turkmenistan at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday.
Federico Cartabia was on target twice in the first half to increase his tally to five goals in the competition as the Dubai club climbed to nine points, two behind the Group C leaders Iran’s Foolad Khouzestan who they meet in the final league phase game on Wednesday.
Shabab Al Ahli dominated possession early in the match and were ahead after 13 minutes.
Harib Abdalla, 19, scooted down the left flank and provided a perfect pass to Cartabia, who made no mistake from close range to give his side the lead.
They could have doubled their score in the 23rd minute but Walid Abbas’ effort flew over the crossbar after connecting with Azizjon Ganiev’s corner.
Cartabia had his sight on goal again after the half-hour mark but his curling free-kick to the bottom left was well met by Ahal goalkeeper Rasul Charyyev.
Cartabia continued his fine scoring record in the competition just before half-time following another good link-up with the lively Harib inside the box.
His first attempt was blocked by Charyyev but the Italian’s follow-up shot found the roof of the net as Shabab Al Ahli went into the break with a comfortable lead.
Ahal looked more threatening in the final 25 minutes and their pressure paid off when Arslan Amanov converted from the spot after Shanazar Tirkishov was brought down in the 72nd minute.
Meanwhile, Luciano Chimba’s first half goal was enough for Foolad Khouzestan to overcome Al Gharafa of Qatar 1-0 at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium on the same night.
Al Jazira’s hopes of a round-of-16 spot were dented after their defeat to Air Force Club of Iraq 3-2 in Group B at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
Ibrahim Bayesh put the Iraqis in front on six minutes and second-half substitute Alaa doubled the lead on the hour.
Jazira pulled one back through Thulani Serero on the 62nd minute and Oumar Troare was on target for the Abu Dhabi club to level the scores at 2-2.
With the game heading for a draw, Shareef Abdulkadhim curled the ball into the top corner to win it for the Air Force Club in added time.
The result means the Iraqis moved to second place with seven points ahead of the match against Mumbai City in the final game while Jazira remained on four as they take on group leaders Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Only the winners of each of the five groups being played in west Asia are certain to advance to the round of 16, where they will be joined by the three runners-up with the best records.
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
