Arsene Wenger heaped praise on Lukas Podolski after the German international came off the bench to seal a 2-1 win in a remarkable finish to Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Anderlecht on Wednesday.
On the day he turned 65, Wenger was forced to gamble after his team went 1-0 down at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels through an Andy Najar goal in the 71st minute.
The Frenchman looked to the bench and one of his changes was to replace midfielder Jack Wilshere with forward Podolski six minutes from time.
Left-back Kieran Gibbs volleyed in an equaliser in the 89th minute to spare the blushes, but Podolski came up with the winner in injury time to give Arsenal an unlikely win at the end of a disappointing display.
“I know by experience that in the last five minutes in the Champions League the nerves play a part but we had to get there without conceding a second goal,” Wenger said.
“It is a little bit of a gambling situation that happens in these games, and it worked tonight.
“Podolski we know can always score you a goal. He is frustrated and I can understand that but he is important,” said Wenger of his World Cup-winning forward, who has struggled with fitness problems of late.
“He needs to get back to a good physical level and now he is nearly there,” added Wenger, who dismissed talk that the 29-year-old almost left the Emirates Stadium in the summer.
“He was never close to leaving the club in the summer. He has 115 caps for Germany – that is not a coincidence. He is a guy you want to have in the box because his shot accuracy is great. I know when he comes on that he can score a goal.”
For long spells it was a birthday to forget for Wenger, but the late turnaround allowed him to face the media with a spring in his step, in contrast to his frosty mood after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Hull City in the Premier League.
The club had won just two of nine games in all competitions before travelling to Brussels, and they were outfought by Besnik Hasi’s supposedly inferior opponents.
Indeed, at 1-0 down they needed two vital saves from Emiliano Martinez to keep them in the game, and Wenger said he never doubted the 22-year-old Argentinian, who was making his Champions League debut in the absence of the suspended Wojciech Szczesny and the injured David Ospina.
“I had no worry for our goalkeeper because he has the presence and the quality. He resists well to stress,” said Wenger, who nevertheless accepted that the overall performance from his side was not good enough.
“It was disappointing we didn’t create more chances tonight than we did but that is because Anderlecht defended very well.
“But the turning point was not to concede a second goal – they had a big chance that they didn’t take and our experience made the difference.
“It is a bit unexpected to take the three (points) considering the quality of match that Anderlecht played tonight.”
Wenger’s side have six points from three games, three points fewer than Group D leaders Borussia Dortmund – who won 4-0 at Galatasaray – but five ahead of Anderlecht and the Turks, and a win at home to the Belgians in a fortnight could take them through to the last 16.
Meanwhile, Anderlecht, who have finished bottom of their group in each of their last seven appearances at this stage of the competition, felt they deserved better on the night for their committed performance.
“My team was almost perfect, except for the last three minutes. We should have won the game, definitely,” said home coach Hasi after his side slipped to a sixth consecutive home defeat at this stage of the competition.
“We couldn’t get the second goal and paid for it dearly. It was a lack of concentration. We have a young team,” added Hasi, who also complained that Arsenal’s winning goal should have been ruled out for a supposed foul on Steven Defour.
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
SPEC SHEET: SAMSUNG GALAXY Z FOLD5
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Memory: 12GB
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Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60/240fps, HD@960fps; slo-mo@60/240/960fps; HDR10+
Cover camera: 10MP (f/2.2)
Inner front camera: Under-display 4MP (f/1.8)
Battery: 4400mAh, 25W fast charging, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless
Connectivity: 5G; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Samsung Pay)
I/O: USB-C
Cards: Nano-SIM + eSIM; dual nano-SIMs + eSIM
Colours: Cream, icy blue, phantom black; online exclusives – blue, grey
In the box: Fold5, USB-C-to-USB-C cable
Price: Dh6,799 / Dh7,249 / Dh8,149
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
