LONDON // Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling ended a difficult week on a high as the teenager inspired his side’s dramatic 3-2 win over QPR in an incredible finish featuring three goals in stoppage-time at Loftus Road on Sunday.
Sterling had endured widespread derision after England manager Roy Hodgson revealed the Reds star had told him he was too tired to play in last weekend’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Estonia.
The 19-year-old’s commitment to his country and passion for the sport were subsequently questioned, but Sterling made a point to the critics as he played the entire 90 minutes at Loftus Road and produced two key contributions to seal the points for Brendan Rodgers’ men.
With Hodgson watching from the stands, Sterling, who began his career as a QPR trainee, won a free-kick which led to Hoops defender Richard Dunne turning into the net for Liverpool’s second half opener.
That set the stage for an astonishing finale as Eduardo Vargas equalised with three minutes left, only for Philippe Coutinho to restore Liverpool’s lead in the 90th minute.
Vargas levelled again in stoppage-time, but Liverpool still emerged with three points thanks to Sterling, whose cross was deflected into his own net by QPR defender Steven Caulker with virtually the last kick of the match.
Not for the first time this season, Liverpool were well below their best for long periods, but somehow they were able to secure a morale-boosting victory ahead of Wednesday’s crunch Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
Leroy Fer should have put the hosts ahead just before the half-hour mark when Bobby Zamora’s cutback picked out the Dutch midfielder in yards of space inside the penalty area, but instead he fired his shot onto the crossbar.
Liverpool’s notoriously creaky defence remained in danger of crumbling and there was another moment of mayhem in the visitors’ area when Martin Skrtel’s poor clearance let in Zamora down the right.
Fer should have punished goalkeeper Simon Mignolet’s failure to collect Zamora’s cross, but his header hit the bar before Sandro’s attempt to force in the rebound was hacked clear by Johnson.
Rodgers’ side were faring no better in front of goal and Mario Balotelli’s lethargic performance was summed up when he somehow blazed over an open goal from close range after Adam Lallana’s shot was pushed into the Italian’s path by QPR goalkeeper Alex McCarthy’s fine save.
Sterling had been the catalyst for that Liverpool break and the teenager played a key role again when the Reds took the lead in the 67th minute.
Battling for possession on the right flank, Sterling won a free-kick which he cleverly took quickly while QPR were still regrouping.
With QPR suddenly exposed, Johnson took Sterling’s pass and whipped over a low cross that Dunne miscued into his own net as he tried to clear.
Balotelli squandered a chance to kill off QPR in the closing minutes and Vargas made him with an 87th minute equaliser as the substitute smashed home after Austin headed a cross back into the danger zone.
After looking lethargic in attack for so long, Liverpool were suddenly provoked into life and Coutinho looked to have won it when he finished a flowing move between Sterling and Steven Gerrard with a fine low strike in the 90th minute.
Yet remarkably there was even more drama to come in stoppage-time as Vargas flicked in a near post header that crept past Mignolet and just over the line.
QPR barely had time to celebrate their apparent escape before Liverpool provided the final twist.
Coutinho’s pass set Sterling away down the left edge of the QPR area and he calmly cut a cross in the direction of Balotelli, only for the ball to hit Caulker and deflect past the wrong-footed McCarthy to spark wild celebrations among Liverpool’s players and travelling supporters.
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MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
AUSTRALIA SQUAD v SOUTH AFRICA
Aaron Finch (capt), Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
