Camp Nou was in control. Sunday was the last home game of the season, a potentially tricky derby against Espanyol, but as Barcelona extended their lead towards a 5-0 triumph, an unusual atmosphere enveloped the stadium.
Fans didn’t know whether to celebrate – and there were celebratory Mexican waves – or to hold fire until they’d actually won the league.
News would seep through of another Real Madrid goal in their 3-2 win against Valencia, or of Atletico not winning at Levante.
Atletico would lose 2-1 to an 89th minute Giuseppe Rossi winner, knocking themselves out of the title race. They have been defeated six times in the league this year, never by more than a single goal. But they’ll be cursing losing at the bottom club.
None of it appeared to matter at a damp Camp Nou. Barca knew that they'd be champions if they won their last two games, both against struggling teams. They won one, now they've got to beat a Granada side who confirmed their safety with a 4-1 win at Sevilla.
• Read more: Luis Enrique – Barcelona managing title tension 'in the best way possible'
• Also see: Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar score as Barcelona stay in title track – in pictures
The end of the Spanish league always turns up odd results. Teams with nothing to play for don’t play. Teams who can help a rival are often offered money to win. It’s seldom reported, but it’s not illegal. Granada’s players are likely on a bonus should they beat Barcelona and help Real Madrid to the title – and that bonus won’t be coming from Granada.
Don’t be surprised either if Deportivo La Coruna’s players are on a bonus to beat a Real Madrid side who know all about losing the title on the final day of the season.
Spain’s first league title was going to Real Madrid until they lost at Athletic Bilbao in 1929 on the final day, while Barca beat Basque side Real Union to be champions. The most recent time was in 1994 when leaders Deportivo drew at home to Valencia, while Barca beat Sevilla to become champions for the third time in succession on the final day of the season.
What happened in the two previous years is still astonishing. In 1992, Tenerife beat Madrid 3-2 at home, while Johann Cruyff’s Barca won against Athletic to win the league. In 1993, Tenerife again beat leaders Madrid at home in the last game of the season and Barca again defeated a Basque side, Real Sociedad, to become champions.
Madrid hope for the improbable, but they’ve done well to be in contention and they still have a European Cup final to look forward to.
Zinedine Zidane's side are in form with 11 straight wins, especially their three strikers Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. The Frenchman scored his 24th league goal this season, more than in any season since he moved from Lyon in 2009. Bale's also had his best season in Spain, while Ronaldo has returned to form after some indifferent patches this term, scoring 33 league goals including his 200th at the Bernabeu in all competitions on Sunday.
None of them have scored as many as Luis Suarez, whose two goals against Espanyol took him to 37 in the league – more than the entire Espanyol team. Espanyol have also conceded a club record 72.
Suarez will almost certainly win the Pichichi on Sunday and become the first man since his compatriot Diego Forlan in 2009 to break the Ronaldo/Lionel Messi duopoly. Suarez may play as a number nine, but along with Messi he's made more assists (16) than any other striker in European football this season.
While Messi and Ronaldo are indulged with freer roles, Suarez is a more traditional centre forward who works the central defenders, chases balls in the channels and can play with his back to goal before bringing his stellar teammates into play. He’s not as skilful as Neymar or Messi, but he’s a peerless finisher who works hard for his team, who is deceptively strong and who runs into defenders with the ball – and comes away with it.
Suarez, who has scored 10 league goals in his last four games, is a major reason why Barxa should retain the league title. He’s the best centre forward in the world right now.
Relegation overview
If it wasn't for Eibar's home holding just 6,100 supporters, Getafe's attendances would be the worst in La Liga. Their average crowd is 6,523, down 10 per cent on last season, in part because they've had such a poor season. Getafe are not even loved in Getafe, a far from beautiful industrial city whose population of 180,000 is easily big enough to support a top-flight team. A problem is that most fans there support Atletico or Real Madrid.
Getafe are a problem for La Liga. The league try to market themselves as the best in the world, but television images at Getafe’s home south of Madrid show a stadium which is seldom a third full and rows of sun-bleached sky blue seats. Their stadium has a grand ‘Coliseum’ title, but such a name is a disservice to the reality.
Getafe would not be missed, especially when there are big teams in the second division: the Reals of Zaragoza and Oviedo, Osasuna, Elche, Cordoba, Alaves and Valladolid.
The worst scenario for the league from a marketing perspective is that Getafe stay up and are joined by Leganes, the side who currently top the Segunda. They, too, are a poorly supported club from a satellite city south of Madrid.
On Sunday, the Coliseum was at least fuller. Helped by a huge 3,500 strong Sporting Gijon away following, plus a far larger than normal home turnout thanks to lower ticket prices, over 13,000 watched the key bottom of the table match. Both teams needed to win to boost their chances of staying up, but the game finished 1-1. The point helped Getafe move above Rayo Vallecano and out of the relegation zone with a game to play. That game is at Real Betis.
Two from three will have their fate sealed on Sunday. Rayo Vallecano are second from bottom in 19th and on 35 points. They play at home to relegated Levante. Win and they have a chance of staying up, but only if Sporting and Getafe in the places above them don’t win. Sporting, who were only promoted last season, are on 36 points, the same as Getafe. They’re below the Madrid side in the league because of a worse head-to-head record. Sporting play at home in Asturias to Villarreal, who confirmed fourth place a couple of weeks ago. Villarreal are managed by Asturian Marcelino, a former coach at Sporting who admitted that he wanted them to survive.
Rayo and Sporting will be a bigger loss than Getafe. They both have superb support and Rayo took 2,000 fans to see their side lose at Real Sociedad on Sunday. Rayo play entertaining football, they attack the best teams.
But as it stands they’re second to bottom in the league, with the worst form and and going down. They’ll take heart from the 27 different possible permatations of results though.
Player of the week
Juan Carlos Valeron, 40, played his final home match after 21 years and 760 games as a top-flight footballer. The Canarian returned home to Las Palmas in 2013 after 13 years at Deportivo La Coruna, where he reached the Champions League semi-finals. The playmaker who appeared 45 times for Spain received rapturous applause from the 27,410 crowd as he told them it was time to quit.
Game of the week
Granada v Barcelona. It’s the game which matters most, though if Barca are not leading, attention will shift to the Riazor for the Depor v Madrid game. It’s exciting that the league is going to the last, exciting too that the relegation battle is still alive, but don’t be surprised to see Getafe, Sporting and Rayo all win.
What else?
Real Betis are 14th, but, with an average home crowd of 38,082, they’re the fifth best-supported team in Spain this season behind Barcelona (77,195), Real Madrid (71,748), Atletico (46,777) and Athletic Bilbao (41,984). Their neighbours Sevilla have enjoyed another more successful season, but Betis average more than 4,000 fans per home game. They also attracted more fans than Valencia.
Five thousand Granada fans travelled across Andalusia to Sevilla, where their team won 4-1 to confirm their survival. Former Barca player Isaac Cuenca was Granada’s star man. The winger has a point to prove against the team who let him go on Sunday, as does another former Camp Nou fringe player, Ruben Rochina.
Sevilla have let their good home form go to ruin, with their focus entirely on the May 18th Europa League final against Liverpool in Basel and the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on 22nd May.
In the second division, tiny Llagostera gave themselves a chance of staying up with a 2-0 home win against Oviedo. Llagostera haven’t won away all season, but they’re decent at home. They’re four points off survival, but three of their remaining five games are at home. At the top, Leganes and Alaves occupy the automatic promotion spots, while the majority of the division are still in contention for a play-off position.
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RESULT
Los Angeles Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Family: Parents and four sisters
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah
A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls
Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction
Favourite holiday destination: Italy
Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning
Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes
Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure
SQUADS
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Asghar, Bilal Asif, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas, Wahab Riaz
Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne (vice-capt), Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Gamage
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
ICC match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
Company Profile
Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
Oppenheimer
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon
Rating: 5/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.+
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.+
The Crown season 5
Stars: Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Lesley Manville, Jonny Lee Miller, Dominic West, Elizabeth Debicki, Salim Daw and Khalid Abdalla
Written by: Peter Morgan
Rating: 4/5 stars
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Law 41.9.4 of men’s T20I playing conditions
The fielding side shall be ready to start each over within 60 seconds of the previous over being completed.
An electronic clock will be displayed at the ground that counts down seconds from 60 to zero.
The clock is not required or, if already started, can be cancelled if:
• A new batter comes to the wicket between overs.
• An official drinks interval has been called.
• The umpires have approved the on field treatment of an injury to a batter or fielder.
• The time lost is for any circumstances beyond the control of the fielding side.
• The third umpire starts the clock either when the ball has become dead at the end of the previous over, or a review has been completed.
• The team gets two warnings if they are not ready to start overs after the clock reaches zero.
• On the third and any subsequent occasion in an innings, the bowler’s end umpire awards five runs.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
