As far as dodging bullets go, Edin Dzeko must feel like he outran an entire magazine's worth when he contrasts his fortunes with Chelsea's.
The Bosnian striker was a transfer target for the London club in the January window as Antonio Conte sought to bolster his attacking options as concerns over Chelsea's chances of a top-four finish mounted. First-choice Alvaro Morata was unfit and misfiring, while unfancied Michy Batshuayi was offloaded to Borussia Dortmund. Many were reportedly on the Italian's radar, ranging from bizarre - Peter Crouch - to sensible - Dzeko.
The Bosnian striker's qualities - aerial prowess, strength, hold up play and the one commodity that supersedes all of the above - goals - were, along with an intimate knowledge of what it takes to succeed in the Premier League having won the title twice while at Manchester City, identified as key attributes to help the English champions get their season back on track.
The transfer never materialised, despite negotiations taking place with Dzeko's employers, Roma. And while Dzeko told Bosnian news outlet Klix he was happy to remain in the Eternal City, his goal conversion - 12 in all competitions before the turn of the year - slowed markedly, suggesting that the talks might have, at the very least, unsettled him.
Fast forward to April and the decision to remain in the Italian capital rather than move to the English one looks a wise one. Roma sit fourth in Serie A, level on points with city rivals Lazio, while Chelsea trail fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by 10 points with six games remaining. Their chances of qualifying for next season's Uefa Champions League nestle somewhere between slim and none.
And while Roma's league position by no means offers them any guarantees of qualifying for next season's tournament, they are, unlike Chelsea, still in this season's competition, in the semi-finals no less, having done what no other team had previously done and overturned a three-goal deficit to Barcelona.
The instigator of the fightback was Dzeko. Trailing 4-1 from the first leg, Dzeko scored Roma's first goal at Stadio Olimpico, won the penalty which Daniele de Rossi converted, having been hauled to the floor by Gerard Pique, and, in tandem with Patrik Schick, terrorised a defence devoid of ideas of how to contain the bustling Bosnian.
"I have never seen Barcelona struggle so much. We pressed them throughout the game from the first minute," Dzeko said.
It was also Dzeko who had struck Roma's crucial away goal at the Camp Nou last week that meant Kostas Manolas's late header was enough to send Roma through to the last four.
A change of tactics by Roma manager Eusebio di Francesco, partnering Schick alongside Dzeko in attack with Radja Nainggolan, who missed the first leg with injury, behind them was a masterstroke. Dzeko is at his devastating best in a partnership, as City fans will attest to, remembering fondly his double act with Sergio Aguero.
"We put three goals past them and we could have scored more," Dzeko added.
Having failed to prise Dzeko away from Roma, Chelsea eventually settled on Olivier Giroud from Arsenal. And while it would be unfair to equate the team's current plight purely down to the Frenchman, Dzeko's goal against Barca on Tuesday - his 21st of the season - and all-round performance only go to highlight the kind of elite-level striker the club may struggle to attract if they finish outside of the top four.
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Top 10 in the F1 drivers' standings
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 202 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 188
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 169
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 117
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 116
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 67
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 56
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 45
9. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 35
10. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault 26
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
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