Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Australian football is moving in the right direction if the performance of Sydney FC in Tuesday's friendly against the Premier League champions was anything to go by.
More than 83,000 fans crammed into Sydney’s Olympic Stadium to watch the A-League runners-up denied a draw by a late disallowed goal and some fine shot-stopping from Petr Cech.
The big turnout came just three days after Tottenham Hotspur attracted 71,000 to the same stadium. More big crowds can be expected when Real Madrid, Manchester City, AS Roma and Liverpool play matches down under in the European pre-season.
Coming on the back of Australia’s Asian Cup triumph in January and Western Sydney Wanderers winning the Asian Champions League last year, there is a feeling that soccer is on the verge of a major breakthrough in the country.
Given the overwhelming majority of Australian internationals are still based in Europe, Mourinho was impressed by the standard of the talent his team faced.
“Obviously, there is a difference in terms of technical and tactical level of the players. Obviously we cannot find in Sydney FC, or even Australia, football players like Eden Hazard or Diego Costa,” the Portuguese told reporters.
“But lots of good young players, a good coach, good organisation, stability in the team and if I can compare Sydney FC in my first time in Australia with the teams I found in MLS 15 years ago when I went to the United States for the first time, I have to say that I was positively impressed.
“I think if they go in the right direction, if this is the domestic competition with the players that are here, not the ones playing in Europe, I like what I saw.”
While some in Australia will feel comparisons to Major League Soccer (MLS) is faint praise, there was no doubting Mourinho’s admiration for one Sydney FC player, Chelsea fan and Socceroos midfielder Terry Antonis.
“The guy that kicked Hazard three times in 10 minutes impressed me, because I like that,” he said. “I like it because there are no friendlies, I don’t like the word friendly, a match is a match. Of course some matches are more important than others, but a match is a match.”
Mourinho was impressed by the passion of the fans – 10,000 turned out to watch Chelsea train on Monday – and although he ruled out a pre-season visit because of the distance, promised the club would not leave it so long between visits next time.
“It cannot be 40 years until the next time Chelsea comes,” he said.
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Director: Tim Burton
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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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
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Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
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