Al Ahli’s Ciel, left, tries to steal the ball from Omid Ibrahim of Sepahan during their match at Rashid Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday night. Sarah Dea / The National
Al Ahli’s Ciel, left, tries to steal the ball from Omid Ibrahim of Sepahan during their match at Rashid Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday night. Sarah Dea / The National
Al Ahli’s Ciel, left, tries to steal the ball from Omid Ibrahim of Sepahan during their match at Rashid Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday night. Sarah Dea / The National
Al Ahli’s Ciel, left, tries to steal the ball from Omid Ibrahim of Sepahan during their match at Rashid Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday night. Sarah Dea / The National

No rest has left Al Ahli weary after scoreless ACL draw


  • English
  • Arabic

Al Ahli 0 Sepahan 0

Man of the match Ciel (Al Ahli)

DUBAI // Cosmin Olaroiu has urged the country's football mandarins to show a bit more support for the clubs participating in the Asian Champions League after his exhausted Al Ahli team were forced to share the points with Sepahan on Tuesday night in a listless draw.

Ahli, playing their sixth match in 21 days, looked jaded and created few opportunities, but they still kept the Iranian visitors in check and controlled the game.

“We wanted to win the match, but unfortunately we did not because we did not have the strength to do it,” Olaroiu said. “This is our sixth game in 21 days and this doesn’t happen even in Europe.

“The last game [against Sharjah], we played for more than 70 minutes with 10 men and the players are now complaining about injuries.

“So these things are happening and we are going to pay a price for this in the Champions League.”

The draw leaves Group D wide open, with Ahli at the top on six points, followed closely by Al Sadd and Al Hilal on five points each, while Sepahan have four points. Olaroiu’s men will host Saudi club Hilal next on April 15, and four days later they will meet Al Jazira in the Arabian Gulf League Cup final in Al Ain. On April 22, they will play Sadd in Qatar in their final Champions League group match.

“We have a very important match against Hilal and then we are playing the League Cup final and then on April 22, we play our final match of the Champions League,” Olaroiu said. “How can I prepare the team? Tell me how? Given the situation, we have to fix our priorities.

“I believe all the UAE teams playing in the Champions League this season have a chance of progressing from their groups, but when you are playing every three days, what can you do?

“In this moment, the players are not prepared to play six or seven matches in 20 days and all important matches. When you talk about Europe, they have 25 players at the same level. In the Emirates, we don’t have that.

“That is why they [the country’s football officials] have to think a little bit about the teams playing in the Champions League, because we are representing the country. The Champions League is a different tempo, you play for more minutes. It’s more demanding, which means you need time to prepare the players. So we need to think about this.”

During these past 21 days, Ahli have played three matches in the Champions League, the Arabian Gulf League Cup semi-final against Sharjah, and two emotionally and physically draining Arabian Gulf League matches against Al Ain and Sharjah.

“The problem for us is, all the matches we have played in this period have been very important and very psychologically draining matches,” Olaroiu said. “This is not an excuse for not winning the match, but I feel bad for my players. We want to do something but unfortunately we cannot, given the circumstances.”

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General Intelligence Directorate
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Syrian National Security Bureau
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UAE

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Japan

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Norway

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Canada

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Singapore

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Australia

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Saudi Arabia

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Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

The UN General Assembly President in quotes:

YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”

PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”

OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”

REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”

Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

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In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

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Argentina – $52 million

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Brazil – $287 million

Spain – $110 million

France – $103 million

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Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

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Wed, Aug 29:

  • Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
  • Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
  • UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs

Thu, Aug 30: 

  • UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
  • Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
  • Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets

Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal

Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore

Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu, Sep 6: Final

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All matches at the Harare Sports Club

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  • 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
  • 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
  • 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16

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  • UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?

The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.

The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.

He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.

He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.

He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.

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Uefa Nations League Group B:

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Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

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Houbarapox

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