DUBAI // Bloggers who monitor every detail of Diego Maradona's existence at Al Wasl must have been a disappointed lot last night.
The Argentine legend did not put his revered left foot to use as he did the week before, when he kicked the hand of a supporter. He did not even indulge in a rant at match officials.
Maradona was as calm as he can be. Perhaps, the giant posters of Theyab Awana in the stands had put him in a reflective mode. He had visited Awana's parents to offer his condolences on the young Baniyas midfielder's death in a car crash this week.
Or, rather, he had no reason to be agitated as his team took early charge of their Etisalat Cup match against Al Wahda.
Playing at their home ground for the first time this season, Juan Manuel Olivera had put his coach at ease with the opener just four minutes into the game.
Rashed Issa, joining the squad after his Olympic team duty, doubled the tally 10 minutes later.
Salem Saleh got a red card with just a minute to go before the break and the visitors were left with 10 men against Maradona's rampaging team.
Josef Hickersberger decided to put all his men in defence on resumption, but the Wasl captain Essa Ali managed to find an opening in added time.
The result, however, still affords a bit more respectability to Wahda than the actual play. They were overwhelmed and Hickersberger, perhaps, might not have imagined such a fate, even with eight of his players on national duty. But the Super Cup winners had come to Dubai with plenty of confidence.
They had little support from the stands; a large number of Wasl fans had made it to the game, sitting behind a giant banner that had "Forza Zabeel" written across; the face of a panther, Wasl's mascot, was also sketched on it. Maradona's drawing power at the turnstiles was on evidence for all.
The atmosphere, however, was far from intimidating. The visitors simply did not get the opportunity to settle down as Hassan Ali's relay into the box was deftly heeled into the net by Olivera for the night's opening goal.
Mariano Donda brought the home fans to their feet with a thundering right-footer in the 12th minute, but it skimmed over the bar. Two minutes later, though, Issa gave the Wahda keeper Mutaz Abdulla no chance, slotting home Ali's clever jab.
It could have been 3-0 in the 31st minute, but Edson Puch's left-footer missed the mark by inches, sailing over the crosspiece.
Wahda managed to take that score line into the break, but had to play the entire second-half with a man short after Saleh's petulant kick on Ali earned him a straight red in the 44th minute. The ball was already out of play when the frustrated Wahda midfielder lost his cool.
As the game resumed, Wahda's defensive strategy allowed little space for Maradona's sharpshooters.
The home team had most of the possession but few clear chances until Ali volleyed home Donda's pass in injury time.
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The specs
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Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
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Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million