Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani, centre, gestures during the French Ligue 1 match against Metz on Sunday, August 21, 2016 at the Parc des Princes in Paris. (Matthieu Alexandre/AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani, centre, gestures during the French Ligue 1 match against Metz on Sunday, August 21, 2016 at the Parc des Princes in Paris. (Matthieu Alexandre/AFP)

Ligue 1 round-up: Wasteful Edinson Cavani jeered as PSG see off Metz; Paul Pogba watches big brother in action



PSG 3 Metz 0

PARIS // Lucas, Layvin Kurzawa and Marco Verratti got the goals as Paris Saint-Germain beat newly promoted Metz 3-0 at the Parc des Princes in coach Unai Emery’s first home game in charge on Sunday.

The result allowed PSG to continue their perfect start to life under their new Spanish manager but the evening was somewhat overshadowed by the whistles of the home support towards striker Edinson Cavani.

The Uruguay star scored 53 Ligue 1 goals over the past three seasons despite living in the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and toiling at times since his €64 million (Dh265m) move from Napoli in 2013.

With Ibrahimovic having departed for Manchester United, Cavani is now PSG's main man in attack but he missed chance after chance against Metz and the French champions won in spite of the Uruguayan.

Cavani had a penalty appeal waved away as he went down under a Georges Mandjeck challenge and then saw a netbound shot deflected onto the post by Simon Falette late in the first half.

Later on, he contrived to slice the ball wide when a rebound fell to him after Angel Di Maria curled a shot against the bar.

More from Ligue 1:

Gabriel Boschilia leads AS Monaco over Nantes

Lyon's Alexandre Lacazette makes it five goals in two matches

Cavani kicked the post in frustration as the boos rang out from the stands in the capital.

Fortunately for the home side, by that point they were already two goals to the good, with Lucas getting the breakthrough seven minutes into the second half.

Serge Aurier teed up Lucas and the Brazilian winger took a touch before steering a low shot across goalkeeper Thomas Didillon and into the far corner.

Paris needed goalkeeper Kevin Trapp to intervene with good saves from Renaud Cohade and Mevlut Erding to preserve their advantage before Kurzawa headed in from an Angel Di Maria corner midway through the second half to make it 2-0.

Late on, Cavani latched onto a through ball and rounded Didillon, but he betrayed a lack of confidence as he hesitated and refused to shoot as the away defence tracked back to cover.

Substitute Verratti then put the gloss on the scoreline when he got the third goal right at the end, his shot from the edge of the area coming off Metz defender Jonathan Rivierez on its way in.

“When the strikers start improving in certain aspects, we will score a lot of goals,” said Emery, who defended Cavani.

“He demands an awful lot of himself. He has character. If we create as many chances in future, I am not worried about him scoring.

“That the fans are so demanding of Cavani is a good thing too.”

Guingamp 2 Marseille 1

PSG join Lyon and Nice on a maximum six points from two games, but Marseille remain without a win after the troubled giants lost 2-1 at Guingamp on Sunday afternoon.

Yannis Salibur struck after just 32 seconds with Jeremy Sorbon netting Guingamp’s second shortly after half time as the hosts withstood late Marseille pressure.

Substitute Florian Thauvin pulled a goal back on 78 minutes with a low long-range effort, but Guingamp this time held on having thrown away a two-goal lead in last week’s 2-2 draw at Monaco.

Saint-Etienne 3 Montpellier 1

Meanwhile, Manchester United star Paul Pogba was in the crowd in Saint-Etienne as they claimed a 3-1 win over Montpellier.

• Also: Paul Pogba impresses in Manchester United debut

At the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, the world's most expensive player, who started for United in their Premier League win over Southampton on Friday, was there to support his brother Florentin, the Guinea defender who turned 26 on Friday.

The elder Pogba played all 90 minutes as Saint-Etienne came from behind after Steve Mounie put Montpellier ahead midway through the first half.

Kevin Monnet-Paquet equalised seconds after the restart before youngster Dylan Saint-Louis scored his first Ligue 1 goal and Slovenia striker Robert Beric came off the bench to clinch the points late on.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

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
Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why seagrass matters
  • Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
  • Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
  • Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
  • Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
Key recommendations
  • Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
  • Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
  • Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
  • More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

Champion%20v%20Champion%20(PFL%20v%20Bellator)
%3Cp%3EHeavyweight%3A%20Renan%20Ferreira%20v%20Ryan%20Bader%20%3Cbr%3EMiddleweight%3A%20Impa%20Kasanganay%20v%20Johnny%20Eblen%3Cbr%3EFeatherweight%3A%20Jesus%20Pinedo%20v%20Patricio%20Pitbull%3Cbr%3ECatchweight%3A%20Ray%20Cooper%20III%20v%20Jason%20Jackson%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EShowcase%20Bouts%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EHeavyweight%3A%20Bruno%20Cappelozza%20(former%20PFL%20World%20champ)%20v%20Vadim%20Nemkov%20(former%20Bellator%20champ)%3Cbr%3ELight%20Heavyweight%3A%20Thiago%20Santos%20(PFL%20title%20contender)%20v%20Yoel%20Romero%20(Bellator%20title%20contender)%3Cbr%3ELightweight%3A%20Clay%20Collard%20(PFL%20title%20contender)%20v%20AJ%20McKee%20(former%20Bellator%20champ)%3Cbr%3EFeatherweight%3A%20Gabriel%20Braga%20(PFL%20title%20contender)%20v%20Aaron%20Pico%20(Bellator%20title%20contender)%3Cbr%3ELightweight%3A%20Biaggio%20Ali%20Walsh%20(pro%20debut)%20v%20Emmanuel%20Palacios%20(pro%20debut)%3Cbr%3EWomen%E2%80%99s%20Lightweight%3A%20Claressa%20Shields%20v%20Kelsey%20DeSantis%3Cbr%3EFeatherweight%3A%20Abdullah%20Al%20Qahtani%20v%20Edukondal%20Rao%3Cbr%3EAmateur%20Flyweight%3A%20Malik%20Basahel%20v%20Vinicius%20Pereira%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The bio:

Favourite film:

Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Favourite holiday destination:

Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.

Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.

Favourite pastime:

Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.

Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.

Personal motto:

Declan: Take chances.

Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.

 

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A