■ Friendly: Germany v England: Wednesday, 11.45pm UAE, Abu Dhabi Sports
There is one clip that broadcasters are guaranteed to show on Wednesday night.
Gareth Southgate launched a pre-emptive strike by making his players watch it on Monday. Then an England centre-back, his tentative penalty was saved by Andreas Kopke. It was the semi-final of the 1996 European Championships, the sole miss. Andreas Moller duly converted from 12 yards and Germany proceeded to the final, which they duly won.
If Southgate has spent the subsequent 21 years having to deal with it, the reality that his first game as England’s permanent manager comes in Dortmund and that Germany’s goalkeeping coach now is the self-same Kopke had the feel of inevitability.
Germany form the comparison England can never avoid, the contrast between achievers and underachievers growing greater every two years.
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Southgate himself pointed out last week that England have only gone farther than Germany once in a major tournament since 1966: Euro 2004, when Wayne Rooney seemed the continent’s most exciting teenage talent. But it was his contemporaries Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm and Lukas Podolski, the youngest members of a troubled German group, who went on to become World Cup winners.
Thirteen years later, Southgate has shown a ruthlessness that Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce lacked, dropping Rooney and perhaps ending an international career that has been a statistical success – a record 53 goals in 119 caps – but a failure in other respects.
As Southgate noted when a mild-mannered man made piercing criticisms, England have only won three knockout games in tournaments in 27 years. Only one involved Rooney. He is far from the sole reason but a wretched record in competitions since Euro 2004 hardly offered grounds to persevere with a declining player.
Rooney could be seen as a symbolic sacrifice, but while Jermain Defoe, 34, was recalled for scoring goals this season – something the Manchester United man has struggled to do – an era has ended.
Another has begun.
It is telling that the squad feature a sprinkling of Southgate’s former charges from the England Under 21 team, including the uncapped trio of James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Redmond and Michael Keane. The search is on for players untainted by defeat and disappointment, even if the U21s, much like the senior side, tend to prove capable of qualifying for major tournaments and incapable of winning them.
But Southgate has sent signals that the continuity of mediocrity will not be tolerated. Theo Walcott was unceremoniously dropped, Jack Wilshere notably omitted. There were meritocratic recalls for Defoe, Jake Livermore, Phil Jones and Ross Barkley, a victim of the privileged status afforded to Rooney.
However, a new reign will not start with a new figurehead. Jordan Henderson led England twice in Southgate’s caretaker reign. Harry Kane was also touted as a candidate for the captaincy. Both are injured, which also means England go to the Westfalenstadion without two of their automatic choices. A third, Danny Rose, is also sidelined.
As ever, Germany are both rivals and role models, their youth policy so effective it propelled them to a fourth World Cup win in Brazil, their mentality so strong that they have become the ultimate tournament team.
England have actually won their last two friendlies in Germany. A 3-2 triumph last May, three months before their Euro 2016 capitulation to Iceland, ranks as the most recent of the many false dawns.
For England, this is a start, for Germany an end. The retiring Podolski will win his 130th and final cap. He is a last link to the side that failed to win a game at Euro 2004.
For England, too, it is a break from the past. The future, they must hope, will be better.
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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
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5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 2,200m
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 1,400m
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
The National selections:
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5.30pm: AF Taraha
6pm: Dhafra
6.30pm: Maqam
7pm: AF Mekhbat
7.30pm: Ezz Al Rawasi
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