Rome // Paulo Dybala hit a brace and provided an assist as Italian champions Juventus capped their sterling Serie A season with a 5-0 rout of 10-man Sampdoria on Saturday.
Juventus secured a record-equalling fifth successive title without kicking a ball last month thanks to Roma’s late 1-0 win at home to Napoli.
In their final home match of the league campaign, Massimiliano Allegri’s men were looking to put the cherry on the cake -- and the Bianconeri delivered in style.
Sampdoria, missing striker Antonio Cassano amid reports he’d been sacked following a row with management, came close in the early stages but second-choice Juve keeper Norberto Neto got down low to stop Ricky Alvarez’s volley.
Read more: Massimiliano Allegri keeps cool as Juventus celebrate fifth straight Serie A championship
Also see: Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri signs one-year contract extension
Minutes later, Juve got in front when French wing-back Patrice Evra sent a diving header into the top corner from Dybala’s free-kick, despite appearing to be in an offside position.
Dybala opened his account from the penalty spot on the quarter-hour when Mario Mandzukic was hauled down by Martin Skriniar, who saw red as he was the last man.
It was the Argentine’s 22nd goal of the season and meant he overtook the 21-goal tally set by compatriot Carlos Tevez in his debut season with the Turin giants.
Juve could have had more, Dybala forcing Serie A debutant keeper Alberto Brignoli into action before Stephan Lichtsteiner’s glancing header came off the crossbar.
A Mandzukic shot was deflected just wide of Brignoli’s upright and after sending a great chance over the bar Dybala hit his second, and 23rd of the season, with a great left-foot strike from outside the box.
It was all one-way traffic and after Paul Pogba shot wide, Juve’s celebrations were complete when defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci added their names to the scoresheet in the final quarter hour.
Chiellini, making his first start since April 2, sent a half-volley from a deflected corner past Brignoli in the 77th minute, with Bonucci tapping home from close range three minutes from the end after striker Alvaro Morata nodded on a corner.
Juventus, who finish the season on 91 points, hold a 12-point lead on second-placed Napoli.
Napoli are two points ahead of Roma in third and will look to hold on to the league’s second automatic Champions League qualifying place when they host already-relegated Frosinone later Saturday.
Maurizio Sarri’s men have extra incentive as they failed to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition this season after a summer play-off defeat to Athletic Bilbao.
A slip-up at the San Paolo would be welcomed by Roma, who face Europa League-chasing AC Milan at the San Siro.
In Saturday’s other match Sassuolo, in sixth place with a one-point lead on Milan, host Inter Milan.
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Raghida, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Alareeq, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,200m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 2 (PA) Dh300,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Trolius, Ryan Powell, Simon Crisford
THE SPECS
Battery: 60kW lithium-ion phosphate
Power: Up to 201bhp
0 to 100kph: 7.3 seconds
Range: 418km
Price: From Dh149,900
Available: Now
TYPES OF ONLINE GIG WORK
Design, multimedia and creative work: Logo design, website design, visualisations
Business and professional management: Legal or management consulting, architecture
Business and professional support: Research support, proofreading, bookkeeping
Sales and marketing support: Search engine optimisation, social media marketing
Data entry, administrative, and clerical: Data entry tasks, virtual assistants
IT, software development and tech: Data analyst, back-end or front-end developers
Writing and translation: Content writing, ghost writing, translation
Online microtasks: Image tagging, surveys
Source: World Bank
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.
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 299hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 2,750rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 12.4L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh157,395 (XLS); Dh199,395 (Limited)
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 2 (Willems 25', Shelvey 88')
Manchester City 2 (Sterling 22', De Bruyne 82')
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
