Emiratis are flying the flag all over



And then the planets clicked into alignment and we arrived at a potential turning point in the history of UAE football. A moment when grand achievements across the spectrum of the sport suddenly are within reach and the possibilities are profound.
Regionally, in the Gulf Cup, where the national team have a chance to reach the semi-finals after clawing their way to a point against the Asian champions Iraq when Majed Naser coolly pushed away a penalty in the 88th minute.
Continentally, in the Asian Games, where the Under 23 team play for a gold medal in China today after consecutive tension-fraught victories positioned them 90 minutes from a championship.
Internationally, in the Club World Cup, where Al Wahda, the Pro League champions, have the chance to play Inter Milan in a match that could be seen by tens of millions of people around the world.
All of it is out there, to play for. Matches and results that could see the country's football profile grow exponentially over the next 20 days. Where to start?
With the Olympic team in Guangzhou, where the young men reflexively referred to as "the golden generation" can validate that appellation with a gold medal with a victory over Japan.
A championship there arguably would be the most significant in UAE football history.
The bracing victory in the 2007 Gulf Cup will not be soon forgotten, but that was an eight-nation event, played at home. The Asian Games began 6,000km from the UAE with a field of 24, including sides from three countries who played in the 2010 World Cup and arrived in China with squads that looked very much like their senior national teams.
To go into that environment, so far from home, and defeat competitors such as South Korea and North Korea, speaks to the talent, cohesion and grit of Mahdi Ali's team.
The talent in the Under 23 side is such, and the Wahda players withheld as they prepare for Club World Cup so vital, that the national team assembled by Srecko Katenec for the Gulf Cup is missing several men who normally would have played in the Iraq match on Tuesday night.
But salvaging a point from a scoreless draw demonstrates the growing depth of talent among Emirati footballers. The country is, essentially, fielding two national sides at once.
With matches ahead against Oman and Bahrain, and all four teams in the Gulf Cup Group B on one point, a victory and a draw should put the UAE into the semi-final - a significant achievement in a tournament where the other seven nations are not simultaneously playing in the Asian Games and preparing for the Club World Cup.
And then we have Wahda, whose potential rewards in the Club World Cup can hardly be overstated. If little Hekari United can be dismissed in the December 8 opener, and Seongnam of South Korea defeated three days later, the Pro League champions not only would have beaten the Asian club champions, they would be in line for a semi-final match with the European champions Inter Milan, a team which attracts attention like few others. To be on the same pitch with the side that vanquished Barcelona, Bayern Munich, et al, would present Wahda and the Pro League with an unparalleled chance to show their quality to the world.
The Pro League already is proving its value in the achievements of the two national sides currently playing; every man on each team plays for one of the 12 league clubs, the "real job" that keeps something like 250 Emirati footballers in a high state of preparedness and, indeed, helped train up many of them from childhood.
The Asian Games. The Gulf Cup. The Club World Cup. Hold on: these three weeks could be quite a ride.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae

Brief scores:

Toss: Rajputs, elected to field first

Sindhis 94-6 (10 ov)

Watson 42; Munaf 3-20

Rajputs 96-0 (4 ov)

Shahzad 74 not out

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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

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Maestro
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Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,600hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.4seconds

0-200kph in 5.8 seconds

0-300kph in 12.1 seconds

Top speed: 440kph

Price: Dh13,200,000

Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:

Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 

Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto 

Power: 1,500hp

Torque: 1,600Nm

0-100kph in 2.3 seconds

0-200kph in 5.5 seconds

0-300kph in 11.8 seconds

Top speed: 350kph

Price: Dh13,600,000

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The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Match info

Deccan Gladiators 87-8

Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16

Maratha Arabians 89-2

Chadwick Walton 51 not out

Arabians won the final by eight wickets

The story of Edge

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.

It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.

Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.

Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab

 

MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia on October 10

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20EPD%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.

A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.

Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.

A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.

On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.

The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.

Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.

The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later. 

The team

Videographer: Jear Velasquez 

Photography: Romeo Perez 

Fashion director: Sarah Maisey 

Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory 

Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG 

Video assistant: Zanong Maget 

Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud  

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder

Transmission: six-speed manual

Power: 395bhp

Torque: 420Nm

Price: from Dh321,200

On sale: now

WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS

England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)

Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
RACE CARD

6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m

7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m

7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m

8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m

8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m

9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m

10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m