Liobnel Messi, centre, in action against Espanyol. Emilio Morenatti / AP Photo
Liobnel Messi, centre, in action against Espanyol. Emilio Morenatti / AP Photo

Barcelona’s Messi, Neymar or Suarez fail to find a way through ‘defensively superior’ Espanyol



Barcelona coach Luis Enrique praised the work rate of Espanyol’s defence as his side were held to a 0-0 draw by their neighbours on Saturday.

The attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez led Barca to five trophies in 2015, scoring 137 of their Spanish record 180 goals in all competitions, but they drew a blank against Espanyol.

“It is difficult to play against a side that gives everything,” Enrique said. “We were expecting a game like this and they played very well.

“They pressured a lot and it was difficult for us to get going at the start as the opposition were on their game.

Primera Liga in focus: Time for Real Madrid to prove Barcelona haven't left them behind

“We did well at the beginning of the second half, it was vital to create chances so that we could control the game and we had some clear openings which we didn’t convert.

“Defensively they were superior to us in work rate and were at a very high level. They did drop it later as the game went on because it is impossible to maintain that throughout the match.”

Barca went close with a Messi free kick and a Suarez shot that both hit the woodwork and the draw means Atletico Madrid are now the outright leaders after defeating Levante 1-0 in the later match.

The Catalan side have 39 points, while third-placed Real Madrid have 36 points and face Valencia on Sunday.

Barca’s next match is against Espanyol in the first leg of the Copa del Rey last-16 on Wednesday.

“This game sets the standard for the next two in the cup and we will try to play with a greater intensity than them,” Enrique said.

There were a lot of free kicks conceded by Espanyol in the first half but Barca’s coach refused to be critical.

“They were physical but there is nothing to object about,” he said.

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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.

Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.

"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."

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The biog

Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Favourite music: Classical

Hobbies: Reading and writing

 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
PROFILE BOX:

Company/date started: 2015

Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence

Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads

Stage: 1 ($800,000)

Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC

 

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Bio

Age: 25

Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah

Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering

Favourite colour: White

Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai

Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.

First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.

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
First-round leaderbaord

-5 C Conners (Can)

-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);

-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)

Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)

Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng) 

1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)

3 R McIlroy (NI)

4 D Johnson (US)

MATCH INFO

Tottenham Hotspur 1
Kane (50')

Newcastle United 0

Friday’s fixture

6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta

6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman

9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas

9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah

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