New York // Former Real Madrid great Raul went into retirement in style on Sunday as his New York Cosmos beat the Ottawa Fury 3-2 to win the NASL title in his final match.
The 38-year-old, a multiple Primera Liga and Uefa Champions League winner with Real Madrid, played the full game, setting up third goal of Gaston Cellerino's hat-trick with a delicate flick.
The Cosmos claimed their second North American Soccer League Soccer Bowl title, to go with the one they captured in 2013.
“I”m very happy,” Raul said. “It was my last game in my career.
“I’m very proud for everything I did and thank you to the club, my teammates and the fans for this amazing year. For me now, I start a new life with another project. I’m happy, but I’m also very sad.”
Photo gallery: Former Real Madrid great Raul goes out in style by winning title with New York Cosmos
While Raul was the man of the moment, Cellerino was the man of the match, which also sent Spain’s Marcos Senna into retirement a winner.
“To win next to Raul was an ideal situation,” Senna said. “I’m thankful for him being here throughout the year as he made the difference many times and scored many goals.
“Today he didn’t get the goal, but he got the assist. He’s a player that is a game-changer.”
Raul began his pro career at Real Madrid in 1994 and spent 16 years with the Spanish side, sparking the capital side to six La Liga crowns, four Spanish Super Cups and three UEFA Champions League titles.
He departed in 2010 as Real Madrid’s all-time top goal scorer with 323, before recently being equalled by Cristiano Ronaldo on September 30.
After netting 40 goals in 98 matches for Germany’s Schalke 04 and helping the Bundesliga side to the 2011 Champions League semi-finals, he departed in 2012 for Qatari side Al-Sadd and retired in 2014 only to make a comeback late last year with the Cosmos.
The club’s appreciation was evident as Cosmos players lifted Raul and Senna into the air in a post-game tribute.
“We feel very lucky, our organization, to have these two great players retire with us,” head coach Giovanni Savarese said.
“These two great players I had the pleasure to coach makes a coach’s life easier because of the quality when they play. They were very important all year to push everybody to higher standards. The way they finished their careers today couldn’t be any other way.”
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
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The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
