BERLIN // Hamburg snatched a last-gasp 2-1 away win to Energie Cottbus to move three points clear at the top of the Bundesliga yesterday and turn the screw on the struggling champions Bayern Munich.
A cracking header from Mladen Petric in the 90th minute gave Hamburg all three points from a match that had looked to be slipping away from them.
With seven games played, Hamburg lead with 16 points, followed by 1899 Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart on 13. Promoted Hoffenheim won 2-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, while Stuttgart thumped Werder Bremen 4-1.
Schalke also managed some late drama, Kevin Kuranyi notching his second goal deep in added time to give them a 2-2 draw at home to VfL Wolfsburg.
Bayern Munich, who were held to a 3-3 draw at home by Bochum on Saturday, are down in 11th place with nine points ? now seven points off the title pace.
The Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann must have been delighted with the way things were going at Cottbus before the late intervention from Petric.
Hamburg had taken the lead early in the second half when Paolo Guerrero turned his marker on the right of the area and sent in a skidding shot that Gerhard Tremmel could only turn into the path of Ivica Olic, who gratefully tapped in.
Hamburg had enough chances to make the game safe but they were rocked when Branko Jelic popped up unmarked to convert a right-wing cross 15 minutes from time.
Their late winner will provide a huge morale boost going into the international break, while giving Klinsmann plenty to worry about as he looks to find a way out of the Bayern crisis.
*Reuters
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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”
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
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.
