Marouane Fellaini, Thomas Meunier and Jason Denayer went one way. Hal Robson-Kanu went the other, the most famous Cruyff turn in Welsh footballing history fooling three Belgian defenders.
Robson-Kanu, who had scored three goals in the Championship that season, put Wales ahead as they went on to beat Belgium 3-1 in the Euro 2016 quarter-final. Wales’ first major tournament for 58 years would take in a semi-final.
It was five years ago. That it was another era was underlined when Robson-Kanu was one of the Wales players who failed to make the final cut. There are only eight survivors of the 2016 squad in their party for just their third major tournament. It underlines how revolutionary Ryan Giggs proved, sidelining Wales' greatest team and promoting youth. Wales have the third youngest average age of any participant in Euro 2020, but they don't have Giggs, stood down while facing domestic abuse charges.
And so it is Robert Page, whose previous managerial experience came in League Two and League One with Port Vale and Northampton, who takes the reins.
And yet Wales’ preparations feel smoother than they sound. Page has acquitted himself commendably in eight games as the stopgap, winning four. The seamless continuity extended to Robson-Kanu’s omission; Ruben Colwill, a 19-year-old veteran of six matches for Cardiff, instead made the squad.
The remodelling of Wales was facilitated by the way, as rarely happens in smaller countries, one fine generation made way for another. The 2016 team was one of senior professionals and solid citizens, garnished by two world-class talents.
Now Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale's bodies are creaking. Bale has made 22 league starts in two seasons, Ramsey 24. Bale has at least featured regularly for the national team – the infamous flag reading "Wales, Golf, Madrid" was a joke about his supposed priorities – but while Ramsey has played in Wales' last two friendlies, he was only able to feature in only one of their previous 11 games.
Only Antoine Griezmann outscored Bale in Euro 2016 but it was Ramsey, along with Joe Allen, who was named in the team of the tournament. Now the dynamism comes from a younger group; the decisions revolve around them.
Harry Wilson scored a wonderful goal against Belgium in March, Daniel James in a World Cup qualifier win against the Czech Republic. Each was in the front three with Bale then. Factor in Ramsey and David Brooks, another whose season has been interrupted by injury, and Page faces questions about the composition of his forward line.
The 6ft 5in target man Kieffer Moore proved a fine foil to Bale in 2019 and 2020 and struck 20 times for Cardiff City this season but Wales have veered towards using a false nine in a faster, more fluid forward line.
Wales nevertheless begin cast in the role of outsiders in Group A. Perhaps that is because of the loss of their manager, perhaps because Bale no longer ranks among the world’s outstanding players. But in both 2016 and the 1958 World Cup, they showed a propensity to upset more fancied teams. They can hope history repeats itself.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
Dubai Kahayla Classic – Group 1 (PA) $750,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Deryan, Ioritz Mendizabal (jockey), Didier Guillemin (trainer).
Godolphin Mile – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Dubai Gold Cup – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (Turf) 3,200m
Winner: Subjectivist, Joe Fanning, Mark Johnston
Al Quoz Sprint – Group 1 (TB) $1million (T) 1,200m
Winner: Extravagant Kid, Ryan Moore, Brendan Walsh
UAE Derby – Group 2 (TB) $750,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Dubai Golden Shaheen – Group 1 (TB) $1.5million (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zenden, Antonio Fresu, Carlos David
Dubai Turf – Group 1 (TB) $4million (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord North, Frankie Dettori, John Gosden
Dubai Sheema Classic – Group 1 (TB) $5million (T) 2,410m
Winner: Mishriff, John Egan, John Gosden
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Meghan%20podcast
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New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
