Sepahan 1 Al Ahli 2
SepahanAl Ahli Man of the match Ahmed Mahmoud (Al Ahli)
Where Al Ain and Al Jazira had blazed a trail before them, Al Ahli swiftly followed suit.
The Dubai club, almost unrivalled this season in UAE football, have struggled for superiority on foreign soil, but departed Round 3 of the Asian Champions League group stages with a vital victory Wednesday night and a share of top spot in their pool.
Compatriots Al Ain and Jazira had secured the summit in their respective groups with successes 24 hours earlier and Ahli were not to be outdone against Sepahan in Iran, albeit they arrived at their present status in stunning fashion.
Having taken the lead at the Foolad Shahr Stadium through Ahmed Khalil’s first-half thunderbolt, Cosmin Olaroiu’s men appeared poised for yet another draw when Sergio van Dijk struck what seemed a hammer blow 16 minutes from time.
But as the hosts poured forward in search of a winner, Ahli delivered a knockout of their own deep into injury-time, substitute Ismail Al Hammadi finishing a superb counter-attack with a perfectly placed shot high into the home goal.
With it, Ahli registered their first away triumph in the Champions League in 14 attempts and kept alive aspirations of progressing beyond their Group D. It is a clogged table – Al Sadd’s draw with Al Hilal means three points separate the quartet – but the manner of the win will give the UAE club fresh vigour.
That much is needed should their unlikely quest for four trophies continue; Sepahan were Ahli’s third fixture in a sequence that sees them play 13 times in seven weeks.
Yet the Arabian Gulf League leaders have plenty of momentum to guide them through the closing few months and, when they likely look back upon its conclusion with titles in the cabinet, this may be deemed the spark for a remarkable run.
Sepahan might sit fifth in the Iranian Pro League but they always represent formidable opponents at this level. They have been beaten only once in 18 previous Champions League ties at home.
How they must not have expected it, then, when Khalil dispatched a missile from 35 yards to gift the visitors an advantage. The Emirati, typically consigned to the Ahli bench, made the most of a rare start to remind why he was not long ago considered the UAE’s great hope.
Van Dijk’s 74th-minute leveller threatened to spoil Ahli’s party only for Al Hammadi to latch on to Grafite’s lay-off moments before the final whistle and lift his shot past Rahman Ahmadi, the flat-footed Sepahan goalkeeper.
It sparked wild celebrations among the Ahli contingent, who would have been determined to join Al Ain and Jazira on their perch during these heady times for UAE representatives in Asia.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Australia squads
ODI: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
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SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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Points tally
1. Australia 52; 2. New Zealand 44; 3. South Africa 36; 4. Sri Lanka 35; 5. UAE 27; 6. India 27; 7. England 26; 8. Singapore 8; 9. Malaysia 3
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