Second-placed Barcelona took their time to work through their gears against third-placed Getafe, but first half goals from Antoine Griezmann and Sergi Roberto pushed them back onto the same points as Real Madrid ahead of the leaders' match against Celta Vigo on Sunday evening.
Lionel Messi assisted his sixth consecutive Barcelona goal in only three matches and played a hand in the second too – delighting his new boss Quique Setien.
This third straight, hard-fought league win has come in difficult times for the Catalans, who have been unable to bring a striker in to compensate for the injured Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele, for whom a six-month absence was confirmed on Thursday. His teammates wore shirts with his name in support.
Lionel Messi criticising sporting director and former teammate Eric Abidal, the bungled dismissal of Ernesto Valverde and a Copa del Rey elimination darkened the mood at Camp Nou. But it brightened on a sunny February afternoon against a Getafe side who were the greater threat for the first third.
Getafe have been the surprise package of La Liga. With average home crowds of only 11,114, the team from a Madrid satellite town have a better away record than Barcelona. The Catalans have struggled away but they did inflict Getafe’s first home defeat of the season in September.
Getafe finished second from bottom of the second division when coach Jose Bordalas took charge in 2016. He won promotion and followed it up with an impressive eighth and then a fifth place finish last season, narrowly missing out on a Champions League place. An April defeat in the equivalent fixture prevented a top four finish.
Bordalas, who endures an antagonistic relationship with Setien and who didn’t shake his hand pre-match, has worked on a limited budget and Getafe, who are still in the Europa League, are on target to play Champions League football for the first time ever. Beating rivals Valencia 3-0 last week helped and they are doing so without star names and using a front three of Angel Rodriguez, Jamie Mata and Jorge Molina, the 37-year-old captain. Their combined age is 100.
Bordalas bristles at suggestions that his team are defensive and insists they are fast, direct and attacking. Barcelona, who are desperate to sign a striker themselves, are trying to sign Getafe’s Rodriguez.
Bordalas’ view of his team was spot on as they started the better of the two, stretching the Barcelona defence and putting the ball in the net after 22 minutes via defender Nyom. Unfortunately the former Watford and West Brom had fouled Samuel Umtiti on the way. VAR disallowed the effort, but Getafe continued to attack with Marc Cucurella, a 21-year-old Catalan on loan from Barcelona, shooting wide after 26 minutes.
He was the best of all Barcelona’s La Masia graduates on the field and it wasn’t a one off as Molina skewed a shot wide when clean through and Mata had a chance.
Barca got the breakthrough after 33 minutes, a magical Messi ball came when he wasn’t even looking forward. Griezmann ran towards the ball and looked like he was going to shoot with the right foot before poking the ball over Soria with the left for his 13th goal of the season. Griezmann has been involved in seven goals in his last eight games against Getafe.
Barcelona went 2-0 up five minutes later when Messi fed Junior Firpro, on for the injured Jordi Alba, and the full-back crossed low to Sergi Roberto to place the ball neatly into the goal.
The hosts had hit their stride and a Messi header came close before half time, but Getafe were far from finished and showed why they’re so high in the table. Rodriguez made it 1-2 after 66 minutes with Getafe’s first goal at Camp Nou since 2014 as he superbly volleyed a cross inside Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s near post. The German didn’t move.
Nerves began to fray in the 80,409 crowd after 71 minutes when the Ter Stegen just about kept efforts from Rodriguez and then Mauro Arambarri in front of the line, while the profligate Griezmann blasted the ball over with only Soria to beat two minutes later before striking wide after 76 minutes.
Getafe looked as dangerous as they had at the start and sustained appeals for a penalty after Gerard Pique pulled Mata back saw an assistant coach sent off, but Barcelona held on for a second consecutive 2-1 home win and four wins out of five for their new boss and 24 games unbeaten at home.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
Company%C2%A0profile
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
