A fourth victory from four, the final of the quartet right when needed most, and the UAE strode forth.
The national team bound into the third stage of World Cup qualification, defeating Group G frontrunners Vietnam in the decider in Dubai and vaulting through as the top side in the standings. A September date on the road to Qatar 2022 awaits.
From five points adrift, way back when and through four must-win matches in 13 days, to one point out in front. In the end, when the results were totted up and the pandemic-postponed second round finally put to bed, that is all that mattered. With a 3-2 triumph at the Zabeel Stadium, Dubai, on Tuesday, the UAE’s World Cup dream had been salvaged.
The two Alis, Salmeen and Mabkhout, and a diving header from left-back Mahmoud Khamis settled it, ably supplied by the burgeoning Abdullah Ramadan and Bert van Marwijk’s shrewd move to bring in Majed Hassan to thicken his midfield.
Until this encounter, Vietnam had conceded only two goals in seven matches in this round. Yet, the group’s meanest defence sprung a leak when staring down its most prolific attack; the UAE’s treble took their tally for the campaign to 23. All the while, their backline provided the platform for progression, too.
Credit must go to Van Marwijk and his men, who survived the delays and the December 2019 dismissal to get the job done. Victory secure, a new hope emerged with the newish generation on a suffocating evening in the emirate. Breath belatedly caught, the UAE can go again.
The UAE’s World Cup hopes had come down to this, a win necessary to advance as group winners. In the end, the three points confirmed the UAE’s position as one of Asia’s leading 12 teams heading into a final phase, the carrot a second global Finals in the country’s history. Vietnam, for their part, had never before made those latter stages.
But the UAE dashed all aspirations of automatic qualification. After Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, were seen off in two weeks by an aggregate score of 12-1, they displayed their mettle and booming imagination to prevail.
The UAE dominated possession throughout the opening exchanges, seemingly safe in the knowledge they could inflict Vietnam’s first loss in eight competitive fixtures, and then broke their resolve.
Ramadan again rose to the occasion, scooping a delicious ball over the static opposition defence on 32 minutes to set free Salmeen. Typically stationed at the base of midfield, the Al Wasl man controlled the ball beautifully and finished just as well past Bui Tan Truong in the Vietnam net. The hosts, and the home support that crammed inside the allotted 30 per cent capacity, had lift off.
Within six minutes, they were full-throttle towards Round 3. Again, Ramadan was the instigator, the Al Jazira midfielder’s pass forcing Truong to trip Khalil Ibrahim right on the byline. Penalty awarded, Mabkhout strutted forward and stroked home from the spot. The country’s all-time record scorer, already out in front in the qualifier goal charts, climbed to 11.
Like Mabkhout, his side were well worth the lead. They increased it five minutes into the second half. The scorer felt as unlikely as the execution, Khamis pouncing on Fabio De Lima’s parried header to throw himself at the ball and nod into the empty goal.
The UAE had three, Vietnam’s night was run. That corresponding clash, a lifetime ago in November 2019 and before the pandemic pinched the football calendar, had gone to the South-East Asians.
Then, out of nowhere, they pulled two back. With five minutes remaining, forward Nguyen Tien Linh surged free to finish past Ali Khaseif; ditto substitute Tran Minh Vuong in injury time. But Vietnam had leapt to life way too late.
A penny, then, for the thoughts of Park Hang-seo, the team's manager made to sweat through the game from the stands following his one-match touchline ban.
Park’s troubles should be tempered, though, by Vietnam’s progression as one of the round's five best runners-up. In contrast, the UAE required no such calculation or counting upon results in other groups. Pool winners, they rendered redundant the myriad pre-match permutations.
For now and across maybe the next nine months, at least, the quest to Qatar 2022 gets renewed force.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
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Meydan race card
6pm Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
1,800m
7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m ,400m
7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
8.20pm Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Pieces of Her
Stars: Toni Collette, Bella Heathcote, David Wenham, Omari Hardwick
Director: Minkie Spiro
Rating:2/5
THE SPECS
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Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
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.”
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
