Austria became the latest team to book their place at Euro 2024 in Germany after substitute Marcel Sabitzer scored from the penalty spot to secure a 1-0 win at Azerbaijan on a day overshadowed by a deadly shooting in Brussels which saw Belgium's game against Sweden abandoned at halftime.
“Due to the incidents in Brussels earlier tonight, play is suspended. Our thoughts are with all those affected,” a post from the Belgian national team read on X, formerly known as Twitter.
European football governing body Uefa confirmed the Group F match had been called off following consultation with both teams and local police.
The score was 1-1 at the time. Viktor Gyokeres gave Sweden a 15th-minute lead, but Romelu Lukaku had Belgium level just after the half-hour.
Belgium had already qualified for Euro 2024 while Sweden's chances of a top-two place had been ended by Austria's victory earlier.
Austria advance
After losing 3-2 to Belgium in Vienna last week in the fight for Group F supremacy – Austria's only defeat in seven qualifying games so far – Sabitzer and his teammates knew a win in Baku would secure a spot at the tournament in Germany.
With several key players sidelined because of injuries, Austria struggled to create chances in the first half but were awarded a penalty minutes into the second half after a handball. Sabitzer was clinical in converting with a strike into the corner in the 48th minute.
Borussia Dortmund player Sabitzer recently returned to fitness after recovering from an adductor injury he picked up last month in a Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.
Austria finished with 10 men after striker Guido Burgstaller was sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card.
Austria became the seventh team to qualify after Belgium, France, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Turkey, along with hosts Germany.
Ronaldo bags brace
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for Portugal in a 5-0 demolition of host Bosnia in Group J.
Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix also scored, with all goals coming in the first half.
Iceland routed Liechtenstein 4-0 and Slovakia won 1-0 at Luxembourg in the same group.
Netherlands came away from Greece with a 1-0 win in Group B to revive their hopes. Virgil Van Dijk’s penalty in second-half stoppage time sent the Dutch above their opponents and into second in their group. Both have 12 points.
Wout Weghorst earlier failed to convert his penalty.
“We do not have a specialist for penalties, corners and free kicks,” said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman. “When Virgil was behind the ball for the second one, I suddenly thought ‘Surely it won’t be one of those evenings when this one goes wrong too.’ But Virgil took it well and decided the match.”
Ireland thrashed Gibraltar 4-0 in the group's other game. France have already qualified from Group B.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Scoreline
Bournemouth 2
Wilson 70', Ibe 74'
Arsenal 1
Bellerin 52'
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
'Ashkal'
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
Biog:
Age: 34
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite sport: anything extreme
Favourite person: Muhammad Ali
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
