BLACKBURN // With eight teams separated by three points, the relegation battle is even more crowded and complicated than before. As the concertina effect takes hold, Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool provided a marvellous microcosm of the struggle for survival.
It was absorbing but inconclusive. Junior Hoilett's deserved injury-time equaliser took Blackburn from 17th to 13th in a stroke, depriving Blackpool of two points and taking them down two places.
"It might be the two we lost get us relegated," said their manager, Ian Holloway. "I don't know yet. I'm finding it absolutely enthralling. It's the tightest division it's ever been and there's about 12 teams that can go down."
Different conclusions can be drawn by the minute, let alone the game. For the Lancastrian rivals, there were reasons to be optimistic - a spirited response from Rovers and the Seasiders' enduring ability to create chances. But the match also offered evidence why they could go down. Blackburn's unconvincing first-half display and Blackpool's ongoing defensive difficulties should be a cause for concern, along with their recent form.
Steve Kean's side have taken just two points from six games. Holloway's men have won only twice in 2011. If resistible object met movable force, the frantic finale ensured neither prevailed. "It was an excellent fightback," Kean said. "That shows the determination and the team spirit."
Blackpool were initially the more assured. They led with a penalty awarded for Ryan Nelsen's challenge on Gary Taylor-Fletcher.
"Was it a penalty?" Holloway asked rhetorically. "No. The referee [Howard Webb] had a stinker."
Charlie Adam, the classy catalyst, nonetheless converted calmly. A second set-piece in four minutes, curled home delightfully by the Scot after he was fouled 20 yards out, doubled their advantage and their captain's tally.
"I'm sure [Lionel] Messi is quite important to Barcelona and Charlie is quite important to us," his manager said.
Blackpool could have had more. Luke Varney had two goals disallowed for offside; Holloway arguing that the striker was onside for the first.
But, put under pressure, Blackpool buckled. Rovers failed to muster a shot on target in the first half. Yet after desperate blocks to deny Hoilett and Mame Biram Diouf, Christopher Samba drilled a shot in to halve the deficit.
Martin Olsson also struck the post in a second-half offensive. While Blackburn attacked with urgency, Blackpool betrayed a sense of peril every time the ball was thrown into their box. Samba's header was cleared off the line by Stephen Crainey and Hoilett's backheel bounced off the post before, finally, Paul Robinson's punt forward was punched weakly by Richard Kingson and Hoilett headed the ball back in. "Junior was exceptional," Kean said. "He's a great player and he's a real match-winner."
Yesterday, he was the match-saver, but it was a timely intervention. Kean's own position is the subject of speculation and, when a chorus of "sacked in the morning" rang around Ewood Park, both sets of supporters joined in.
He lives to fight another day. Whether either Blackburn or Blackpool will survive for another season is altogether more unclear.
[ sports@thenational.ae ]
Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya
Directors: Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Dharmendra, Dimple Kapadia, Rakesh Bedi
Rating: 4/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
AIR
Director: Ben Affleck
Stars: Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis
Rating: 4/5
SPEC SHEET: APPLE IPAD PRO (12.9", 2022)
Display: 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 2,732 x 2,048, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, ProMotion, 1,600 nits max, Apple Pencil hover
Chip: Apple M2, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Memory: Storage – 128GB/256GB/512GB / 1TB/2TB; RAM – 8GB/16GB
Platform: iPadOS 16
Main camera: Dual 12MP wide (f/1.8) + 10MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 2x optical/5x digital, Smart HDR 4
Video: ProRes 4K @ 30fps, 4K @ 24/25/30/60fps, full HD @ 25/30/60fps, slo-mo @ 120/240fps
Front camera: TrueDepth 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 2x, Smart HDR 4, Centre Stage, Portrait, Animoji, Memoji; full HD @ 25/30/60fps
Audio: Four-speaker stereo
Biometrics: Face ID, Touch ID
I/O: USB-C, smart connector (for folio/keyboard)
Battery: Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi; up to nine hours on cellular
Finish: Silver, space grey
In the box: iPad, USB-C-to-USB-C cable, 20-watt power adapter
Price: WiFi – Dh4,599 (128GB) / Dh4,999 (256GB) / Dh5,799 (512GB) / Dh7,399 (1TB) / Dh8,999 (2TB); cellular – Dh5,199 / Dh5,599 / Dh6,399 / Dh7,999 / Dh9,599
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
Company profile
Company name: Leap
Started: March 2021
Founders: Ziad Toqan and Jamil Khammu
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Funds raised: Undisclosed
Current number of staff: Seven
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
SQUADS
South Africa:
Faf du Plessis (capt), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada
Coach: Ottis Gibson
Bangladesh:
Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Mustafizur Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.
Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
THREE
Director: Nayla Al Khaja
Starring: Jefferson Hall, Faten Ahmed, Noura Alabed, Saud Alzarooni
Rating: 3.5/5
Most polluted cities in the Middle East
1. Baghdad, Iraq
2. Manama, Bahrain
3. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
4. Kuwait City, Kuwait
5. Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
6. Ash Shihaniyah, Qatar
7. Abu Dhabi, UAE
8. Cairo, Egypt
9. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
10. Dubai, UAE
Source: 2022 World Air Quality Report
MOST POLLUTED COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD
1. Chad
2. Iraq
3. Pakistan
4. Bahrain
5. Bangladesh
6. Burkina Faso
7. Kuwait
8. India
9. Egypt
10. Tajikistan
Source: 2022 World Air Quality Report
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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RESULTS
3.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 – Group 1 (PA) $75,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Jugurtha De Monlau, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
4.05pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
4.40pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $250,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Discovery Island, James Doyle, Bhupat Seemar
5.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Al Dasim, Mickael Barzalona, George Boughey
5.50pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $170,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Go Soldier Go, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.25pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 – Group 1 (TB) $450,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.10pm: Ras Al Khor – Conditions (TB) $300,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Al Suhail, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $350,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Charlie Appleby
8.20pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $250,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Sound Money, Mickael Barzalona, Bhupat Seemar
RoboCop: Rogue City
Developer: Teyon
Publisher: Nacon
Console: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Rating: 3/5
A Round of Applause
Director: Berkun Oya
Starring: Aslihan Gürbüz, Fatih Artman, Cihat Suvarioglu
Rating: 4/5