TURIN // Italy Euro 2016 hopeful Simone Zaza produced a dramatic late strike as champions Juventus went one point clear at the top of Serie A with a 1-0 win over Napoli on Saturday.
Napoli, suffering only their third defeat of the campaign, travelled north looking for a league double over the champions for the first time since the 2009/10 campaign. But just as the match looked to be heading for a draw, Zaza finished off a great Juve counter in the 88th minute with a powerful shot from 22 yards that took a slight deflection before beating Pepe Reina in the Napoli net.
Diego Forlan: Goals of Higuain and Dybala crucial to Napoli and Juventus' title hopes
“I hope this turns out to be a title-winning goal,” said Zaza, who was one of several Italy fringe players being watched by national-team coach Antonio Conte in Turin.
Juve are now top of the table with Napoli, who are seeking their first title since 1990 when Diego Maradona steered the southern club to just their second title, now second and a point adrift.
After applauding the “solid” defence that kept a tight rein on Napoli’s 24-goal hero Gonzalo Higuain, Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri said: “We got our revenge.”
But he expects a tight battle with Maurizio Sarri's men in the title run-in and added: "Compared to last year at this point we have one point less, so the title fight will be tight and there won't be just Napoli but also Inter and Fiorentina.
“Despite the fact we’ve put together 15 consecutive wins, Napoli were always in front of us.”
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Napoli coach Sarri conceded Juve’s defence had been key: “We were lacking something in the final 20 yards, which is only normal when you’re up against such a strong side. Eight months ago they were 24 points behind us, now we’re almost tied.”
Juve fans, however, will be hoping for vast improvements against Bayern Munich in the Uefa Champions League last 16 in just over a week’s time. The chances for both sides were few and far between in a nervous opening half in which not conceding a goal seemed to be the order of the day.
Juan Cuadrado and Paul Pogba, with a 25-yard free kick, had come closest for Juve in an opening half in which Napoli really only came to life on the cusp of the interval.
First, Gianluigi Buffon produced a fine reflex save from Raul Albiol’s close-range volley from a corner. Higuain then held the ball up well to find Lorenzo Insigne with a blind pass, only for the Italian to overhit his return as the Argentine rushed to the back post. Napoli resumed where they had left off and Juve looked asleep as the diminutive Insigne somehow muscled his way across the left byline to force a block from Buffon in the opening minute after the restart.
Juve won a corner and a well-worked move saw Claudio Marchisio send a high ball over the defence to Sami Khedira, but Patrice Evra blasted the cutback over from six yards. But home manager Massimiliano Allegri seemed alert to the danger and soon made two changes: Daniele Rugani replacing Leonardo Bonucci and Zaza coming on for Alvaro Morata.
Zaza’s impact was almost immediate, the Italian battling for possession deep on the right to set up Paulo Dybala on the edge of the area before the Argentine was closed down. Minutes later Pogba, from deep on the left, set up Dybala at the same spot but the striker flashed his first-time effort just over.
Finally, the Juve crowd were up on their feet but it took the hosts another quarter-hour – in between seeing Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik fire a 25-yard strike just wide — to produce their next chance.
Pogba held off several players on a pacey run up the middle, but despite Cuadrado screaming for service, the Frenchman hit a shot that bobbled towards a thankful Reina. Allegri appeared to have signalled that he was happy with a share of the spoils when he replaced Dybala with Brazilian defender Alex Sandro in the dying minutes.
But after an exchange of passes, Zaza took two strides ahead of his marker to unleash the shot from outside the area that left Reina powerless, and sent Juventus Stadium into raptures.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Business Insights
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- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
A meeting of young minds
The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:
435 – UAE
2,000 – China
808 – United Kingdom
165 – Argentina
38 – Lebanon
16 – Saudi Arabia
16 – Bangladesh
6 – Ireland
3 – Egypt
3 – France
2 – Sudan
1 – Kuwait
1 – Australia
Results
2pm: Al Sahel Contracting Company – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: AF Mutakafel, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: El Baareq, Antonio Fresu, Rashed Bouresly
3pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Alkaraama, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
4pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Lady Snazz, Saif Al Balushi, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Hive – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
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England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
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Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Brave CF 27 fight card
Welterweight:
Abdoul Abdouraguimov (champion, FRA) v Jarrah Al Selawe (JOR)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (TUN) v Alex Martinez (CAN)
Welterweight:
Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA) v Khamzat Chimaev (SWE)
Middleweight:
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Rustam Chsiev (RUS)
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) v Christofer Silva (BRA)
Super lightweight:
Alex Nacfur (BRA) v Dwight Brooks (USA)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) v Tariq Ismail (CAN)
Chris Corton (PHI) v Zia Mashwani (PAK)
Featherweight:
Sulaiman (KUW) v Abdullatip (RUS)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) v Mohammad Al Katib (JOR)
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
